In the Eye of a Pale Storm
by AzureF
Summary: She was different, a mutated creature that had never been intended to be relased upon Earth. She could learn, she could read minds, and she knew emotions... this fic has maybe a bare slim chance of ever being completed
1. The Feline Grace

_EDITED CHAPTER!!! I needed to explain more stuff. Reread if you wish (and if you read the first chapter... this one explains a lot more)_

_Well, this story came about from a very long fascination with strange creatures of all types. I've had this idea swirling around in my head for quite a while now, and have finally gotten around to writing it. Though, if it doesn't get many reviews, I won't continue it at all. I just won't have the inspiration to._

_Oh, and **Disclaimer**: I don't own anything relating to Predator/Aliens. I'm just using the idea. The characters, however, are my own, so please, no stealing of them. Thank you for reading_

* * *

It was a cold winter night, of a kind where the wind chilled anything that came in contact with its biting tendrils and snow flit serenely through the bare-branched trees. The sky was clear for the most part, with only a few heavy snow clouds obscuring the brilliant stars above. In the darkness, a small pair of yellow eyes watched, curious, from the street. 

The creature's lithe form slunk into the soft light filtering down from the street lamps. It was a normal housecat, one that, though it had a warm, loving home with a comfortable place beside the fire, still felt the call of the night. That was why it was here, exploring and stalking mice in the deserted alleyways, instead of sleeping in the loving arms of it's family.

As it reached the corner of the street it paused, lifting one delicate, white-socked paw and scrubbed it with its rough tongue, massaging the warmth back into the cold limb. It stopped suddenly, shook itself, and trotted onward. It could groom later, right now, an interesting scent had reached its keen nostrils.

The cat reached another alley, and, hissing at a small, mangy tom that sprang away as soon as it saw the larger cat, made its way down. The snowdrifts piled beside the walls of the buildings hindered its stride slightly, but the cat wouldn't give up. It had nothing better to do, for it could already scent that there were no mice in this area of the city. There was only its curiosity, and the strange, unidentified smell.

The black furred form slipped casually into an open window, something rare on such a cold night, and into a deserted bakery. With a sneeze, the cat jumped down upon an old, musty box, then onto the floor. The thing it was looking for was here, it was certain.

The cat wandered down the stairs, and past a ruined door that had been left slightly ajar. Finally, it saw what the smell was coming from. The cat slowed, taking in the large, oblong thing that seemed to be anchored to the floor by some sort of hardened, waxy substance. The feline sniffed it lightly, and sneezed again. The thing, whatever it was, was alive, that much it knew.

Without warning, the top of the object began to open out like some sort of sick flower. The cat hissed, all of its fur standing on end as it backed towards the door. Something was moving inside the object, something that smelled dangerous.

The cat hissed again for good measure, tensing to spring away, but it suddenly found itself bound by some sort of rope, with it's sight obscured by a spider-like creature that clung to it's face. Then, there was a prick at the base of its neck, and it knew no more.

* * *

"Hey, look," said a young girl of about thirteen, bending down to pick up the ragged cat that had arrived at their door, "Diskette came back." 

"That's good, dear," said the preoccupied voice of the girl's mother from the kitchen, "Get him cleaned up before you let him down, though. We don't need a trail of snow through the house."

"Kay," said the girl, walking up the stairs of the warm and well-furnished home with the purring black cat snuggled in her arms.

* * *

_From the very first, I was aware._

_As soon as I had developed enough to understand what was happening, I could see through my host's eyes, feel through its skin. I could hear its thoughts and know its feelings. Only now do I know how rare that is for my kind, to know and see without being. _

_In this way, I came to learn._

_My host did not understand much of the human's actions, though what it did understand intrigued me. I had never known the concepts of warmth or emotion; in fact the entire basis of my species is set within the parameter of hunger and survival. In this unique way, this strange opportunity to acquire a new perspective presented itself to me._

_I was different, though I did not know it at the time._

_As I watched the everyday life of this creature in which I lived, I soon came to know the rudimentary language of both feline and human. I knew, by the understanding of my host, what the word 'no' meant. I also leaned the words 'food' and 'outside' in this way. _

_When my host, which I soon leaned to refer to as 'Diskette', interacted with other felines, I leaned their language as well. Though the cats had no spoken word, their entire world revolved around body language and contests of strength. Diskette participated in many of these contests with other cats, often winning but occasionally losing and limping home top be taken care of by the girl._

_The girl… an enigma that I could never quite solve…

* * *

_

"Hey, Diskette," crooned the girl, stroking the soft black fur on the cat's arching back, "You're such a pretty boy, aren't you?"

A steady, thrumming purr answered her.

"Yes, you are," she said, smiling. She put her arms around the cat and lifted him up, carrying him up the stairs from their place in the living room, "Come on, kitty, we can listen to music."

The thrumming intensified.

* * *

_I loved music._

_It was something that called to me, somehow. I could never get enough of those sweet, hallow sounds that haunted me and sent messages that, though I couldn't understand most of the words, conveyed itself to me in a way that even today I do not understand. _

_Whenever the girl… her name, I think, was Scarlet, put on music, I could not help but shiver with pleasure of hearing the sounds. This, admittedly, caused some discomfort with my host, but I found that I could not stop myself. I had to go along with the music; it was hypnotizing to me. _

_I made up for it, though, by staying perfectly still any other time. My host enjoyed music, as well, and I feel that, near the end, he could sense my presence just as I had been able to sense his. I could see it in his mind, and we developed some sort of understanding, without words._

_I would live; he would die. And it would be soon, very soon, for I grew more with each passing hour.

* * *

_

"Okay, Diskette, I'll let you out!" said the girl with a laugh, opening the door to let the black, white-socked cat streak out the door.

She watched him go with some confusion, wondering what had gotten into the cat today. He had been acting strangely all day, bouncing around the house, hissing at small noises and such. Perhaps he needed to get out… She hoped it wouldn't be long. She loved that cat very much.

* * *

_I knew… knew that I could no longer stay hidden within the host body. Already I was larger than I should have been, larger than most host bodies would have taken, but the cat was, in a way, a teacher to me. I had to give it the best remainder of life possible._

_My incubation was long, much longer than I had intended. If I had known then what I know now, I would have been worried. My species does not usually take so long to grow. I should have emerged within the first few days, but I hadn't…_

_But his death would be very hurtful to the family… In a way, I thought of them as my family, too. I had lived with them for over a week, and in that time had somehow grown attached to the ideals of what I understood to be warmth, emotion… perhaps even love. _

_I was different._

_I prodded my host to run, run to where it wouldn't be found. I needed to emerge, but I wasn't going to stay with the family. I did not want to kill them, or have them kill me. I knew enough from my time spent that something as strange as I knew myself to be would not be welcomed among humankind._

_My host entered a deserted alleyway, hissing shortly at an old, mangy brown cat crouched behind a garbage bin. I saw from its memories that it had been in this place before… when it had not been infested. The thought was intriguing, but I did not have time to dwell on it. Already my limbs were twitching uncontrollably._

_My host yowled, collapsing on the dusty floor of the cellar. Suddenly, I screamed as well, for somehow I could feel the pain that I was causing the host myself. I could not stop emerging, however intense that pain became. I was emerging, and, as my host finally died, my link with it died as well, and the pain faded away. _

_I was free, though weak. I needed food to sustain me…_

_But I was blind._

_I froze, staying still as I puzzled out this new development. I had never been away from sight since I had first been aware. I could hear, yes. My hearing was a hundredfold that of my host, but I had no real idea of how to get around. If I did not, I would die, die when I had barely begun to even live._

_I growled in despair._

_Suddenly, a picture formed in my mind. Gray, fleeting, and pulsing, it made me screech lightly in surprise. A clearer picture established itself, fading away a few moments after it had formed. _

_Slowly, I came to realize what these pictures meant. My host had often sat with the girl when she had been doing something called 'homework', and she had often spoke to us about different topics she was working on. One of these topics had been on something called 'echolocation'. Seeing with sound._

_I was seeing by reflecting sound waves._

_With newfound strength, I growled and clicked, exploring the room that I had emerged in._

_And my 'eyes' fell upon my host's body. It was still faintly warm, and I could smell that it still contained much of the nutrients that had sustained me during my incubation. I crawled toward it warily, tentatively reaching out with my second maw and nibbling on a foot. Then, with a hunger that I hadn't realized was so great, I reared back and snapped forward, engulfing the body whole and swallowing._

_It was good, very good. Perhaps later, I would find another._

_For now, fatigue was wearing on me. I had spent much of my stored energy ripping from my host, and that, coupled with my recent meal, had made sleep my first priority._

_With a soft, growling yawn that showed me more of my surroundings, I approached an old, empty barrel. The inside was dusty, and I saw a few grains of some substance that I had no knowledge of, but it would do. I slept, and my dreams comforted me._


	2. Arrivals and Hunger

_Next chapter... finally XD This one I do like, even though it's kinds slow and more of a filler and explainer than anything._

_Oh, and here's the dictionary of 'Predator language'. Got the words of a site on the internet... 'The Predator' or something like that. They're in order of appreance, and some are explained in the story, so they're not here._

_c'jit- damn  
l'ulij-bpe- crazy  
mei'hswei- brother  
ell-osde- you (won't be used much)  
Ooman- human  
Jehdin Thei-de- (a name I made from words) One Death  
awu'asa- armour  
nian-de- hunt  
gkei'moun- easy  
dtai'k-de- fight  
m-di h'dlak- No fear_

_(as always, I do not own Aliens, Predators, etc.)Well, enjoy the read

* * *

_

"Kwei, you c'jit l'ulij-bpe mei'hswei," chuckled the large, heavily armored Yautja warrior, gripping the smaller, obviously younger creature's shoulder, "What are ell-osde doing here, instead of preparing for the nian-de?"

The slightly smaller Yautja looked up, his unmasked face lowered slightly to show his submission to his much older brother. His skin was a pale color, almost like the meat of a young tree with the same slight green tint, and it was mottled with light brown, almost imperceptible spots. He shrugged.

"I am looking at the Ooman planet, Jehdin Thei-de," he said, "it is… interesting."

The tall Yautja growled softly.

"Interesting it may be," he snorted, "but you must have awu'asa to participate in the nian-de, mei'hswei. Come, Kwei, we can speak while you prepare."

The smaller Yautja nodded, and walked with the other silently through the fogged, luminescent halls of the ship. This was to be only his third hunt, including that of the Kainde Amedha Chiva. He remembered that first hunt fondly, for he had been the first of the young Yautja to kill one of the creatures, and so the first to become a Youngblood. He still wore the scar of the Kainde Amedha blood across his arms and middle, where the creature had flailed and struck a bloody stump against him. It was testimony to his win; an honorable thing meant to be worn proudly.

They reached the amour room, and Kwei quickly donned his equipment. He was hunting with more of the traditional gear and not much else, for he liked the added challenge of hunting without much technology. He merely had a simple spear, a curved sword known as an h'sai-de, and the traditional wristblades, or ki cti-pa.

"Take a throwing disk as well, mei'hswei," suggested Jehdin Thei-de, removing one of the circular devices from it's place on the wall, "Oomans are different from what you're used to, much more dangerous when cornered."

Kewi regarded the disk, and finally shook his head, refusing the offered weapon.

"I don't need an gkei'moun dtai'k-de, mei'hswei," he said, donning his mask and looking at the other Yautja, "I have m-di h'dlak."

* * *

_I woke, feeling freer than I had ever thought I would be._

_The barrel seemed cramped now, so I pulled myself out of it, realizing that I had grown during my sleep and would not be able to stay within the container any longer. I clicked and somehow saw my own foot. It was bony, almost like the insects that my host had occasionally seen and eaten, and at the end of it was a limb that looked almost like a human hand, except with claws and no 'thumb'. _

_Curious, I lifted my foot and nibbled it. Sudden pain made me pull back, and a few drops of green blood flew from the small injury on my leg. They hissed and sizzled as they hit the walls and floor. I investigated this, and saw that the blood was eating a hole through any substance that it had touched, almost like the human concept… 'Acid'._

_The rest of the room seemed uninteresting, being merely a larger and more broken down version of the human lair. But there were other rooms that I could sense, and a strange, old scent that seemed both familiar and strange to me. I trotted, delighting in feeling my own limbs move, towards the far end of the room I was in, and 'saw' through a series of rapid clicks that the door, almost ruined as it was, was just slightly ajar. I nudged it open and continued down the stairs, using what I had learned from my host to walk down the steep steps safely. _

_In the room beyond, my 'sight' fell upon some strange shape. It was large… not as large as the barrel, but larger than my host had been, and it smelled of death and decay. I approached it warily, knowing that, though it was certainly dead, it might still be dangerous. _

_As I investigated, I relaxed. It was nothing, just a rotten and empty shell. It seemed a bit like an 'egg', something I had learned of while watching the humans cook meals. My host had often lingered around the humans at mealtime, hoping to gather an extra bit of food or scrap meat. This was obviously inedible, though, so, after snorting and poking the object with my tail, I let it be and wandered around the rest of the room._

_There was something strange in the corner. It was like a blank space in my echolocation, a void where my sound waves wouldn't reach. Intrigued, I trotted up, thinking that perhaps it was just too far away for me, but I stopped suddenly in surprise when I had moved directly in front of the void._

_It was a creature, something that, amazingly, I hadn't smelled or seen. I snarled, jumping back slightly and crouching, and the creature did the same. I must have surprised it. When we had sat like that for some time, I rose, seeing the other copy my actions, and approached._

_We both raised one claw, reaching towards each other. My claw hit some sort of cold surface, and I saw a small crack rise from where I had touched. I pulled back, surprised, and sat. This was a puzzle, I knew, and one that I had to solve before I moved to investigate anything else._

_As always, I thought back to my time with humans, the time when I had seen through cat's eyes. I knew that there had been something there, something that would answer my questions as the humans had answered much else with their ingenious ways. _

_Suddenly, a small memory surfaced, and I knew. It was my echolocation that had fooled me. The object, the one that had cracked, was merely reflecting me. I was the one on the other side…

* * *

_

"Hey, Diskette," crooned the girl, flaunting a new outfit and dancing around the room, "What do you think?"

The cat just purred, looking at the antics of his owner with a bored expression.

"Aw, you're no fun," laughed the girl. She stood in front of a large panel of glass, staring at an exact copy of herself on the other side, "Well, I look good in the mirror…"

* * *

_The panel was a _mirror_, a reflective device. I had not recognized, and the reason why I couldn't see it was because my echolocation was being deflected to reflect whatever else was near it. It caused a blank space because of the double effect, unless something moved in front of it._

_So, I saw myself. This was a perfect opportunity to study what I looked like, perhaps even determine exactly what I was. My head was large, domed and oblong, with a huge, flaring crest coming off the back of my skull. My body was long and lithe, insect-like, and set in a quadruped stance like my host had been. A long, bony tail extended from my rear, ending in a sharp blade._

_I had explored enough. Though the image in the mirror was interesting, hunger began to gnaw at me. I was still growing, and needed as much food as I could find. Remembering the mangy cat that had been in the alley earlier, I trotted towards the stairs. Perhaps I could find it, and have a small meal before looking for something more… substantial.

* * *

_

It was the perfect hiding place for the ship, one that the humans, curious and widespread as they were, were very unlikely to discover. Water lapped around the ship's hull as it slid, barely powered, into the huge tunnel that seemed to be a sort of gigantic sewer.

The hunt would be commencing soon, and the warriors would split to take their own respective hunting grounds. They had only three weeks here, so it was important to attract the best and strongest prey. Kwei had the perfect spot planned, in a city not far from the landing area. He would hunt there, and he already had a method of finding the best trophies.

There was no speaking as the warriors left the landing area, for all were already lost in thought as to what skulls their wall would gain. Kwei immediately set off in the direction of his planned grounds, noticing with satisfaction that none of the others were heading in the same direction. He would have the city all to himself; it was just the way he liked it.

* * *

_I looked up from the body of the stray tabby, the fresh meat dripping from my fangs and mixing with the prodigious amount of saliva that my mouth generated when hungry. There was something… something different in the air. Something was happening, I could sense it. It was then that I felt a small rumbling through my hypersensitive limbs, at the same time seeing a faint ripple of sound waves move across the sky far in the distance. _

_I had never seen something like this before… I was curious._

_But I was also still hungry, and though the cat was a small meal, it was all I could get until my carapace hardened further. I swallowed the rest quickly, and, sending out small, hypersonic sound waves in all directions, I checked the surrounding area to make sure there were no threats. It was good that humans had a small hearing range; otherwise, any in the area would have heard my sound and come to investigate._

_There was no one as far as I could hear. It seemed this area of the city was deserted._

_I trotted cautiously into the open street, aware that this was the first time I had ever come out into a large space that had no cover. Instinctively, I was nervous, and I held to the shadows as much as I was able. A normal human wouldn't be able to see me unless I had to move into the light or dash across an open space, but I still felt as if there was danger all around me. _

_With good reason I was cautious. I heard the projectile as it sliced through the air, coming towards me with lethal speed. My hearing was my savior, for I whipped around just fast enough for the shot, fired from a high window of a deserted building, to graze my shoulder instead of impacting into my skull as the shooter had intended. Green blood spurted from the wound, and I screeched in pain. Upon leaping away, I heard another few shots, but they were half-hearted and erratic. Perhaps the shooter was delusional, or perhaps not a good shot. _

_This wasn't turning out to be the best trip._

_The shadows comforted me as I cleaned my wound, trying to keep the blood from spilling too much on the clean white snow that covered the ground in the back alley. The cold was beginning to make me nauseous, as I wasn't used to such low temperatures and wasn't built for conserving heat. My recent meal seemed little more than a distant memory._

_At that moment, the wind changed and I smelled something that made saliva drip from my mouth, pooling on the snow blow my lifted head. It was some sort of meat; cold and faint, but there. I could sense that there was a lot of it, as well. With a final, nervous click in the direction of the building, I stepped slowly out of hiding. There was no movement, so I scurried as fast as I was able towards the tantalizing scent, intent upon reaching my destination in as short a time as possible._

_I stopped suddenly, halted by the sight of an object, half buried in a thick layer of white fluff that had been dislodged from its place by my foot. It was a small thing, barely worth considering, but what made me stop was the memory of the same types of things covering the girl's room, in which my host had spent the most of his time. _

_A… 'book'. I sniffed it, careful not to wet it with my saliva, and gently lifted the diminutive wad of paper with my gripping claws. I didn't really have any way to carry it… but I would try. I had learned, from my host, that books were much like music to humans, but in a silent way. They contained something called 'stories', things that had never happened, and some things that had. There were things that humans wished for and things that they despised. In the girl's words was the message that had made me pause; 'worlds are hidden in books, as long as you know how to read them'. I didn't know, exactly, but I could learn._

_Perhaps I could find what they saw in it…_

_I curled my claws holding the book, and ran, slightly lopsided due to my closed claws, the remainder of the distance to my destination. It was a large building, with doors made of polished steel that was frosted in the frigid air. The smell was coming from a small pipe off the side of the wall, from which a thin vapor was drifting. _

_I pushed on a door, and growled when it didn't move. I hadn't come all this way to be daunted by such an obstacle! I pushed harder, feeling the door strain slightly under the force. It wasn't enough, though, and I didn't want to attract too much attention. _

_I focused on some strange projection on the side of the door… it seemed vaguely hook-like, but was obviously no hook. I pushed it, but it did little more than creak. _

_Again, I sat down, thinking the problem over. The door in my lair was no problem, not like this one. It opened at a push, and I would have expected this one to do so also. As I stared blankly at the cold steel that mocked my by its silence, I thought of what a human looked like. They had something that I really didn't have, hands, and used them for everything from eating to pushing strange buttons on unknown devices. What would a human do here?_

_Looking at it in a different light, a tentative answer established itself in my mind. A human's hands were good for gripping, and so they would grip the hook on the door. Perhaps that was all that was needed. With a soft growl, I heaved back so that I was standing precariously on my hind legs, and set one clawed foot so that it gripped the hook as best as it could. _

_I wasn't built for this position, and had to lean against the door for support. As soon as I did so, however, the hook rotated, making my claw slip off and sending me flying into the snow. I snarled, annoyed, but stopped when I saw the slightly ajar position of the steel door. _

_I had succeeded! Pausing to pick up the book from where I had accidentally flung it into the snow, I pushed the door open and entered the building.

* * *

_

Edited chapter! Fixed all the small stuff, like misspelled species names and whatnot.


	3. Objects and More Hunger

_Finally (drumrolls), tis an update!_

_Okay, first off, thank DarkXeno for the prodding to get me to write this, readers. But one thing I would like to add... I don't quite need THAT much prodding. I was already well into ideas and planning for this chapter by the second review, okay? It just takes a few days for me to become inspired and write. Even then, this chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but I didn't want to give away any of the next events... that might be because I haven't planned out the next events yet, though. XD Watching AVP yesterday helped with the inspiration factor, too (nods wisely)_

_Expect at least a week before the next chapter comes up. If you give me time, it may be long and involved

* * *

_

Kwei regarded the scene below him, his sharp eyes picking out the different humans as they scattered and regrouped, almost like a large school of fish, in their effort to escape the crazily driven vehicle as it barreled down the small road, coming to a stop in front of a huge office building. He clicked softly, wondering what type of human would try such a move, and if it would have a good skull.

The answer came quickly, as a large form shot out of the doors of the vehicle and ran towards the building. Kwei was pleased, this human was a good target, and seemed strong. Perhaps it would put up a challenging fight when he finally cornered it. The Yautja zoomed in on the large male, quickly memorizing his heat patterns and build before the human disappeared into the building.

The Yautja was distracted for a moment as a bright streak flashed before his vision, squawking loudly. He growled and pushed the pigeon out of the way, grumbling as more flocked around as if following the other, landing on his arms, legs, and the roof around him. He wondered briefly how they could see him, for he had his stealth setting turned on.

To avoid being noticed by the humans below, for he was certain that birds perching in midair wasn't a normal occurrence on this world, Kwei released the spire on top of the building and dropped lithely down to the roof, batting away agitated birds as he fell. The last thing he needed was to land wrong because of a common animal. He landed with a grunt, causing the roof to bend slightly under his weight.

Kwei shook his head; these human structures were so weak, nothing like the strong materials on the ships. It would be a short while before the human emerged from the building, as the Yautja had studied the truck and found that it was some sort of delivery service. If the human hadn't brought anything into the building with him, it was logical to conclude that he had a large order to transport and would need assistance to carry it into the building. Kwei settled down on the edge of the roof, batting away another bird, and watched.

* * *

_It was cold, but the smell of fresh meat was almost overwhelming. I growled in satisfaction, watching as the sound waves moved out from me and reflected off from various hanging objects. It looked vaguely like the carcasses of many large animals were suspended above the ground. _

_With a cautious tread I moved further into the building, shivering slightly as my body tried to adjust to the freezing temperatures. This place was colder than outside, much colder, and my breath came in large puffs of vapor that evaporated almost instantly after leaving my jaws. Still, if there was food here, I would need to get at it. _

_I sniffed at one of the hanging objects, finding that it was indeed meat, as I had guessed. Unfortunately, it was much too cold to digest, frozen as it was, and I snorted as I trotted to where the smell was coming strongest. _

_I discovered another vent._

_Angered by the endless blocks that prevented me from reaching my destination at every turn, I hissed and swung a claw, hitting the vent and crumpling the part that protruded from the wall. The small huff of steam instantly stopped, and the sound of screeching metal made me jump back in surprise. My hearing was too sensitive to stand such a loud noise, and I had to shake my head a few times to regain my senses. _

_As soon as my mind had cleared, I looked around. This area was deserted, it seemed. There was no sign of any living creature here, and I doubted that anything would dare try to live in cold like this. It was probably used to store things, like the 'freezer' at the humans home had done. This place was just a giant 'freezer' that held nearly whole animals instead of small chunks of meat._

_Soon, I had spotted another door leading to a different room. Using what I had learned from my first experiment, I reared and brought my full weight to bear upon the hook, feeling it twist under me as the door swung away. A warm blast of air flew over my skin, and I made haste to enter the warm room. It was relieving to get out of the cold at last, and the smell was stronger here. _

_A loud noise made me turn, and I hissed as a human shouted and pointed, gesturing to others that ran forward and gasped as they saw me. I briefly considered running back to the freezer, but quickly decided against it. If I had gotten this far, no human was going to stop me. _

_One of the humans pointed a long, black object at me, sneering before a loud blast reverberated through my skull, blinding me. I hit the floor on instinct, feeling the sound waves brush close against my skin as the heat of some sort of projectile drifted past. I heard it slam into the door behind me, and leapt out of the way as another blast followed. _

_I was running blind, trying desperately to clear the static out of my head so that I could escape. I hadn't expected the humans to have such weapons, not in this place. It was, perhaps, a fatal mistake._

_I ran into a wall, the impact knocking me to the floor. The vibrations of the human's footsteps forced me to rise, to leap and escape. The blasts kept going off, and I felt a sudden and excruciating pain explode in my leg, tripping me and making me fall to the floor. I slid a few feet, still trying to clear my head so that I could see. The best course of action seemed to be lying still; perhaps they would go away. I wished they would leave me be._

_"What is it?" whispered one of the humans. I could feel the tremor in his voice, even through the blinding static._

_"Don't know," said another, one of a deeper voice, "Sure is an ugly damn thing."_

_"You sure it's dead?"_

_"Probably wouldn't be laying here if it wasn't… shit, look at that!"_

_"The floor! It's being… eaten through…"_

_"Almost like… acid…"_

_I felt the floor below me, and yes, my blood, as it pooled, was eating through the steel and concrete as if it were melting 'butter'. In a few moments, the floor would fall away and I would be free. I could already smell the wafting scent of meat below me, and the humans weren't about to go anywhere near my 'carcass'. Even dead, I was too dangerous for them…_

_And my sight was returning…_

_"Let's get Conner, he'll know what to do!"_

_"The scientist dude? But he's just here for-"_

_"Do you seriously think it… matters…"_

_The floor chose that time to eat away completely, and I fell limply through the large hole in the steel, completely relaxed so the impact would be softer. As it turned out, the impact was soft anyway, as I hit some large, soft creature. In a moment, there were wild squeals of pain, and whatever was below me struggled and ran around, screaming in an agonized tone. I clicked, seeing a large, fat creature with short legs running wildly in circles around a small holding pen as my blood dissolved its skin. _

_Finally, there was meat! I could feed! With a joyous shriek, I gathered my limbs and leapt, mouth opening and second maw slamming forward, crushing the creature's skull on impact. It was dead almost instantly, and I rammed my mouth into it, taking as much flesh as I could jam into my jaws and swallowing. The energy coursed within me, and I purred as I fed. _

_The humans were small compared to this. I ignored them as they ran away, their footsteps echoing on the steel tile above my head.

* * *

_

Edited chapter! More fixies XD


	4. Save Me

_I am SO sorry for the lateness on this. (get ready for a stream of excuses XD ) My main reason; I am a major Procrastinator. Second reason is I'm currently working on... oh, I'd say seven different projects, andI often switch from one to the other without being able to choose which one I have a need to write in on a given moment. Blech, I hate that. _

_Long chap though. Hope that makes up for it a bit._

_As for the questions somewhere back there in reviews... I'm not sure where this is set. New York is as good a guess as any, I really just made up a random generic city for it _

_Oh, and DarkXeno; since you seem to be such a diligent and persistant fan, I'll let youcreate a character in my fic Just E-mail me with what your character is and what you want for it, and I'll write 'em in. (I'd prefer a Xenomorph character, but you can choose anything else) Plus, I fixed my dumb spelling error! (feels stupid) Yeah, me the huge fan who'd been mispronouncing the damn species name for almost a year! XD LeastI can spell Xenomorph._

_(Insert Disclaimer Here)

* * *

_

Kwei ripped the human's head from its body, glad that the fight was finally over and he could get to better prey. He growled angrily; this human had put up a pitiful fight, so pitiful, in fact, that the Yautja debated on just leaving the creature there and going to find more worthy trophies.

The alien sighed, and clipped the head on his belt. The human's skull was still nearly perfect, and would make a fine addition to his wall, though he would always growl upon seeing it. This human had seemed so daring, so worthy, but it was true that appearances could deceive. It had turned out to be a cowardly creature, one that had ran and begged until the very last.

Kwei startled as he heard the sound of humans coming down the dark alleyway, and cursed at his own inattentiveness. He was halfway to the top of the building when the shout of surprise and horror drifted up to him, and the Yautja decided that the day hadn't been completely wasted. He perched silently on one of the ledges, looking for all the world like a monstrous gargoyle as he stared down through his expressionless mask at the activity below.

He chuckled quietly as the sirens sounded. Things were bound to get interesting.

* * *

"What do you want?" growled the scientist, looking up from his calculations. His cold gray eyes swept over the ragged and out of breath individual before him, and he sneered, "What's wrong now, boy? I have work to do!"

"Sir, I'm sorry," breathed the boy, "But you have to come look at this!"

"Look at what? Be quick now, I have important things to do!"

"Something got into the animal pens… we don't know what it is! It's horrible, and it's blood eats through the floor like acid!"

The scientist paused, his outward appearance calm, as he looked the teenager over from head to toe. The boy indeed appeared to be telling the truth, and the scientist's heart leapt at the opportunity that had somehow laid itself out at his feet. He growled; sounding unimpressed at the news.

"You know standard procedure boy! Isolate it!" he ordered sharply, giving the teenager a scathing look, "Well, hop to it! And it'd better be kept alive, do you hear!"

"Yes, Dr. Conner!"

The boy nodded quickly and sprinted out the door. The scientist snorted and called after him.

"It had better be alive!"

* * *

"The doctor wants it isolated!" called the teenager, leaning on a chair as he reached his coworker, a burly man of around forty. The man snorted and pulled away from the gigantic hole in the floor, tearing his eyes away from the carnage below.

"What does that idiot scientist think he's doing?" he growled, "The damn thing's eatin' up our profits like a fuckin' vacuum!"

"We can't kill it, either," said the boy with a shrug, leaning down to pick up something on the ground. He turned the object over and over in his hands, finally flipping it open to read the cover, "Looks like someone dropped their book," he mused.

"Huh? Toss it 'ere," said the burly man, gesturing, "per'aps I can find who it belongs to."

"Yeah, you know _everyone_ that works here, don't you?" laughed the teenager, tossing the book. The object flew through the air, and brushed the burly man's fingers before dropping straight into the pit, "Gods damn it all!"

"You idiot! Look what you've done!" yelled the man, annoyed, "We'll never get it back now!"

"Didn't matter, it was old, anyway," said the boy with a shrug, "It was so torn up I doubt anyone would want it back. Besides, it was Poe. Can't understand a damn word that man ever wrote."

"If anyone comes lookin' for it, I'm pointing them straight to you," snorted the man, winking good-naturedly.

"Oh, and I'll tell them who dropped it," said the teenager with a smile, "C'mon, let's get a net over this hole…"

"Damn teenagers."

* * *

_I looked up as an object fell through the hole I had fallen through, landing directly in front of my face. I distantly heard the humans above yelling, and snarled softly before sending a few gentle sound waves over the thing. With a snort, I discovered that it was the book I had picked up earlier. I must have dropped it while running, and the humans had discovered it. I could only guess as to whether the fact that it had arrived in this feasting pit had anything to do with them knowing it belonged to me or not._

_I wrapped one clawed hand around it, bringing it to me as if it were some treasured artifact. In truth, to me it was. _

_"Besides, it was Poe. Can't understand a damn word that man ever wrote," laughed one of the humans. I looked up, seeing them clearly for the first time. I was surprised at how much they looked like my old family… but then again, all humans looked about the same to me. I couldn't help it, though; I clicked happily and leapt towards the hole._

_The humans yelped, throwing down a net over the opening. I hit it and fell back, looking up plaintively at them. One shuddered and turned away._

_"It doesn't have eyes!" he growled, "It's an abomination!" _

_Abomination! Was that what I was? A freak?_

_I looked down at myself, a thoughtful mood taking me. Was I just some animal to them, as the cat was? Yes, they had loved the cat as a family member, but they considered cats graceful and beautiful. To them, I was an ugly, disgusting creature. For the first time, I saw what I was through human's eyes. _

_I was a monster. _

_I was expendable. _

_With a cry, I leapt at the net again, an irrational anger pulsing through me that they would think so little of me. That they would insult and hurt when they didn't know me, they didn't know who I was, what I was. All they saw was the outside, the monster. _

_One slash broke the ropes easily, and I clung to the ceiling as the human's frightened screamed echoed above me. They were loud, very loud, and I winced as I scuttled through the hole. The book in my hand comforted me only slightly as I screeched at them, trying in vain to form a sound they would understand._

_"SCREEE SCREEETEEEEEEE SCRRAAAAAA!"_

_"Get out of the way!" called the larger male as I faced the smaller, tail lashing in my annoyance. Suddenly, I realized how dangerous a weapon my tail actually was._

_"SCREEE SCRRRRAAAM EEEEEEE JEEEEEEEE BEEEEEEE SSSSSSSST!"_

_Was I just a beast? Was I, human?_

_"Kill it! I don't care what the doctor says, KILL THE DAMN MONSTER!"_

_I was a monster._

_I screamed, my anger sharpening into a bright, burning point within me as I focused all my attention on the human. He screamed again in terror, the sound delicious in my ears. It gave me such a clear image of him, of his face. They thought me a monster…_

_Perhaps I shouldn't disappoint them?_

_All the rage, the pain of the last few moments took over, and I shrieked a high-pitched cry. It felt as if my head had exploded, all the matter inside spreading out to engulf the room, absorbing every detail and storing it. The human shone bright white, and I growled at him._

_He didn't even have time to cry before he was lifted into the air and slammed against the wall opposite the room. I leapt, my legs stiff as I hit the already dead human in the chest, ripping out his internal organs and feasting on them. I growled, the blood cascading down my maw as I swallowed his heart, and caught sight of the other human. He was pointing another of the long objects at me, but it wouldn't make the loud sound. I growled again, annoyed._

Are you happy now? Is this what your kind wanted of me, human? You called me a monster, and now I am!

_He clutched his head, sinking to the floor, and I snorted. Weak, pathetic humans. Why did they even attempt anything? They're hate corrupted them, their blindness. I may not have been able to see as they did, I may not have had eyes, but my sight was clearer than anything they had. I saw what they were; I saw their soul._

_I didn't like what I saw._

_"What are you?" the human gasped, blood beginning to flow from his nostrils to drip on the sterilized floor. _

What do you see, human? Give it a name, and that's what I am.

_"Freak," spat the man, "Evil bastard!"_

Perhaps I am… Perhaps I am…

* * *

The sirens started up again, sounding more frantic than usual. Kwei looked up from his vigil, his keen ears distinguishing the hurried calls of the humans and the slamming of doors. He stood, ignoring the infuriating pigeons that were everywhere in the city, and headed off towards the sound. He adjusted his mask slightly, taking it from the motion sensing and setting back to the thermal detection that he was used to. Perhaps there would be some worthy prey in that direction…

* * *

_I looked up, my keen senses hearing the faint yet unmistakable sound of sirens. I knew this only from the various television shows my host had watched, but from what I gathered, sirens weren't a good thing. They brought more humans –dangerous humans- and were extremely loud at close quarters. _

_This was my cue to leave._

_I looked at the dead humans, a cold feeling settling in my gut. I had killed humans… I had betrayed my family. My family who had, in essence, raised me. They had taught me so much of the world, and I had gone directly against what I had learned. _

_I had no honor._

_I keened over the two dead, aware of the eyes of another as I mourned them. As I heard a sound behind me, I whipped around, staring the creature in his cold eyes._

_"You're beautiful," he whispered, awed, "A perfect being…"_

_I stopped, confused. Wasn't I a monster?_

_"You're no monster," said the human. I stared at him in shock, and he smiled back, "You have such talent's, little beauty. A Queen in her own right you've become. But more powerful than any Queen I've seen…"_

_A Queen? What was he talking about? I was nothing, a beast… a parasite. And how in all the worlds could he understand me? I wasn't even speaking… not that I could._

_"I'll teach you," said the human, "I'll teach you what I'm talking about, my girl. You're far too valuable to be wasted like some animal, some mangy cur! You are…You are a flawless creature. Perfectly adapted to any number of environments…."_

_A specimen! The knowledge hit me suddenly, and somehow I knew the definition and implications without ever having heard the word before. I snarled, seeing the human take a wary step back. His eyes watched my every movement._

_"Now, girl," he said calmly, "There's no need to get agitated."_

I'd rather be thought a monster than lose my freedom.

_A sudden movement caught my eye, and I jumped back as another human slammed the door open, firing wildly with the long, metallic object. I hissed as another bullet hit me, grazing my arm. My acidic blood splattered across the floor, smoking as it burned through the metal._

_"Don't shoot, you idiots!" yelled the human, "Don't you realize how valuable that creature is?"_

_Valuable? So I was merely a profit for him? An early payday for the noble human dream?_

_Well, I certainly wasn't sticking around, now._

_With an angry hiss, I made my way across the floor, ducking as a few of the humans fired despite the ravings of the strange human. Suddenly, one gurgled, falling on the ground. I stopped, surprised, and saw a large spear materialize through his stomach. It was almost as if it had been invisible before…. _

_Another human screamed, lifting up into the air as two points of blood flew from the back of his chest. I winced, the noise so shrill that it cut through my sight with an image of the reflected terror that the human felt as he died. _

_What was killing them? Why wasn't I able to see it?_

_The questions burned through me as I crouched, hidden under a large metal box. The human I had spoken with yelped, staggering back as the mysterious force killed yet another of the uniformed ones. The screaming was so loud that there was never a moment that I couldn't see what was happening in the room, and what I saw frightened me. _

_The coated human flipped some sort of switch, a suddenly water began raining down in the room. I winced, hearing the confusing roar as every droplet created its own individual soundwave. Somehow, though, the water allowed me to see the creature that was killing the humans with so much relish. I growled as I studied it._

_Somehow, my instincts were instantly set on guard. This creature was dangerous, and something that I was automatically tuned to attack. I held myself back with pure force of will, waiting to see what the creature would do._

_It turned, growling and clicking ominously as the human staggered away from the switch. The twin blades on its wrists made a hissing noise as they extended to a full three feet, dripping the blood of previous victims. The human whimpered and ran, trying to get to the door. _

_He didn't make it._

_He screamed as the blades plunged into his flesh, but the human was not without a last valiant struggle. As he died, he ripped out wires from a nearby door lock, shoving the sparking wires into the creature's chest. Both screamed as electricity coursed through them, and the creature removed the blades from the human's chest almost instantly as it pulled away. The human seemed to have a death grip, though, and refused to let go of the creature or the wires, keeping the current alive for as long as possible._

_Finally, the creature managed to get the human off, staggering back as it was suddenly released from the electricity. It shook itself, turning away to face the other victims. I hissed softly, amazed at how it could have taken such a hit. I knew how lethal the energy that had been unleashed was; my senses told me that I would have died after only a few seconds of exposure._

_Suddenly, it staggered, falling to one knee. The creature tried to rise, but twitched slightly and fell to the floor. It twitched once more, and went still._

_I came out of hiding warily, quite aware of the complete silence all around me. I thrummed, keeping up a steady sound so that I wouldn't be caught off guard, and approached the large, humanoid creature. I stayed away from the weapons, both human and creature, and carefully made my way through the carnage. I transferred my book to one of my smaller claws, feeling slightly foolish for not thinking of doing such before, and stepped over a large puddle of watered down blood._

_Finally, I reached it. I leaned down carefully, sniffing. The creature was alive, but barely, and I could hear the sirens start up again. I looked around, warring with myself on the decision. These humans I owed nothing; they had tried repeatedly to kill me or worse, and I had no love for them. But this creature was different, like I was, and despite the fact that I knew it would probably try to kill me when it woke, I felt that it had saved me. If it had not killed the humans when it had, I might have been dead. I owed it a safe place to recover, at least._

_Decision made, I knelt and tried to get the creature to lie on my back. The work was difficult without hands, but somehow I managed it… halfway. The creature's legs still fell to one side, but it was the best I could do. Unfortunately, I realized that my charge was quite heavy, as well, and I had to work to move under its weight. But I had decided, and I wasn't going to give up before I had begun._

Hmm… what are you?_ I mused as I chirped softly, looking over every line of the strange mask covering the creature's face._ It doesn't matter. You saved me, and I save you. Then, we're even.

_If I had known then what I know now about the species, I might have killed it then and there._

_Like I said; I was different.

* * *

_

'Nother edited chapter (yawn) I think every chapter I have has been edited, now O.o


	5. It Speaks

_(eyes fic) Wow, you guys have really gone rabid over this fic, huh?Thanks bunches to all of you! (hands out mini chbi cat-Xenos to all reviewers)_

_Okay, questions first: Boongdaba: Where I got the idea for this fic I'll never really know. I've always been a rabid Alien/Predator fan, and never thought the Aliens got enough credit. Really, how unintelligent can they be if they always manage to kill off almost every living thing wherever they end up? I wanted to make one that put people's views on them completely upside-down, and came up with this._

_DarkXeno: Okay, man, you're getting very stange with the Facehuggers, there O.o. To answer your question about the Aliens Quadrilogy DVD's... assumption was wrong. I don't have 'em, though I wish I did. Plus, I love some of your ideas, but please decide on ONE (head explodes from too many character possibilites). 'Cause I want you to E-mail (points specifically to the word E-mail becuase she doesn't want to give anything character-wiseaway to the readers before they need to know) me a complete character bio, including personality, looks, species, color, agressiveness, name, and whatever else you want to throw in there Don't be afraid to base it on you, 'cause it might make the story quiet interesting to throw that type of character in there. Oh, and 'cause I just remembered that doesn't give e-mails away to non-members... it's blackfox2005 at hotmail. _

_enjoy random and quickly written yet good chapterness. _

_Ah yes, translations : _

_Pauk: fuck  
Dtai-k'de: Fight  
Ell-osde: you  
C'jit: Damn  
Kainde Amedha: Hard Meat  
U'sl-kwe: Final Rest  
Oh, and in case you're wondering, Kwei means Crazy/Tricky. I never put that up in the original translations ;;

* * *

_

Kwei groaned. Everything hurt; everything burned. It felt as if his limbs were pulsing with a throbbing ache in tune with the rhythm of his heart. He didn't even have the power to open his eyes as of yet, and any movement hurt badly. He decided that it was best to just lie still and perhaps think of how he'd come to be in this state.

The Yautja thought back, remembering what had happened at the slaughterhouse. He had been doing well, fighting against truly worthy trophies, and he remembered killing them all…

The scientist! It was he who had done this to him! The Yautja warrior growled darkly, suddenly remembering the water, and the wires. The human had known about him, had known about his race and the weaknesses of his kind. That was not supposed to be. Not at all.

At least he had killed him. Yet… there was always a chance that more humans knew.

The Yautja didn't remember getting out of the slaughterhouse, however, and that troubled him. Was he still there, lying on the floor, or had the humans taken him? There was no water where he was lying, and that fact alone made the warrior suspicious. It seemed that the possibility of capture was more and more likely. Kwei forced his hand to rise, gritting his teeth in pain, and found the self-destruct device still strapped to his arm. He sighed; at least they hadn't taken his last resort from him. Perhaps he could even take a few with him when he set it off.

The Yautja forced his eyes open, wincing slightly, and focused on the room he was in. To his disappointment, there weren't any humans, but he guessed that fighting in his condition might be a bad idea, anyway. It was a small room, looking windowless at first glance until one saw the small slit near the ceiling. There was no furniture except for a bench near the opposite wall and a low table, and large barrels were set up in the corners of the room. It looked as if no one had worked in this place for many years.

Kwei frowned, his mandibles clicking; this wasn't the slaughterhouse or anywhere in it, and didn't seem to be a place a human would take a captive. Where was he, and why was he taken here?

His eyes swept over the room again, and he hissed suddenly as he saw the object lying behind the table. It was an egg, but not just any egg. Kwei had seen these once before, when he had been on his Kainde Amedha Chiva. He hurriedly looked around the room; standing quickly and automatically taking a defensive and wary posture despite the pain it caused him.

It was a Kainde Amedha egg. Why it was here Kwei didn't know, but the thought disturbed him.

He relaxed just an inch upon seeing that the room seemed to be clear. He switched the setting on his mask just to be sure that the creature hadn't found a way to hide from him, seeing the cool blue of the cold walls change to a deep purple and the egg change to a dull, dead-looking green. The egg seemed to be old, and no facehuggers were in evidence. With a sigh, the Yautja turned it back to normal thermal vision and set about investigating. The elder would want to hear of this, he was certain of that.

Kwei warily moved to the slightly ajar door, careful to make as little sound as he could as he looked through it. He nearly hissed in shock from what he saw, his mandibles flaring out as he gaped.

It was a Kainde Amedha, which immediately put him on edge. Though it was what the creature was doing that surprised him so, for the creature -judging from the developing crest it was a young Queen- was sitting leisurely on the floor of the next room, gently turning the pages of what seemed to be an old and tattered book. It jerked suddenly, turning to face the Yautja with a warning hiss as it snapped the book shut, back arching and bladed tail lashing much in the manner of a cat.

The Yautja grabbed for his spear, and then realized that the weapon was missing. He growled, searching for his other weapons. There were none.

"Pauk!"

The Queen hissed again, softer this time, as Kwei took up a fighting stance and waited for the creature to take the first move. The only weapons he had left were his Ki cti-pa, which had been hidden in his wristband, and he intended to use them to kill this creature or die trying. They stood at a standstill, both staring at the other, before the Queen suddenly relaxed and sat, somehow staring at Kwei despite the fact that it had no eyes to speak of. The Yautja barked out a challenge, extending his wristblades and slashing the air in an attempt to get the creature to leap at him.

The Queen hissed again; backing up and opening her maw to show clearly the many sharp, silver teeth adorning her gums. Kwei advanced and slashed again, wondering why the creature hadn't attacked already, like any other of its species would have already done. He did not want to fight an enemy that wouldn't fight back, like the human from before. It would be dishonorable to do so.

"Dtai-k'de, ell-osde c'jit Kainde Amedha!" he growled angrily.

The creature snarled, and Kwei leapt back as it crouched. Suddenly, it was in the air, and the Yautja had to move quickly to avoid being pinned under its weight. Despite the fact that it was still a young Queen, the Kainde Amedha was roughly the size of a normal drone of its species. It was more than large enough to be lethal.

He slashed, hearing the creature screech in surprise. Kwei turned fluidly, his visor identifying the two shallow slashes in the leg armor of the beast before being slammed against a wall by its tail. He gasped, the breath temporarily knocked from him, and he suddenly realized that he wasn't recovered enough to possibly have a chance against the creature.

"Screetee scraa!" the Queen hissed softly, pressing the blade of her tail against his throat. Kwei snarled, bringing up his wristblades in a vicious slash that nearly took the tail off from the beast. She whipped it out of the way, seeming to glare at the Yautja indignantly before using one of her claws to pin his hand to the wall. The talons on her fingers dug into the plaster, chipping it and sending the fine dust down over the warrior's arm.

"Send me to my u'sl-kwe, Kainde Amedha," he said, looking at the creature with a mixture of respect and hatred. If only he could somehow take her as a trophy…

The Queen trilled, cocking her head in a cruel imitation of confusion. Kwei snarled struggling to reach his wristband so that he could set off the bomb. He knew that a Queen should not be loose on the planet, and that he must not fail to kill her, no matter what.

A chirp brought him out of his thoughts. The Queen was bringing her head down close, looking at him without eyes. He struggled uselessly, knowing that this was the end. She opened her mouth, her second maw twitching, and seemed to look him over carefully. How she did this Kwei had no idea, but he felt, at the very back of his mind, the tingling suspicion of a question being asked.

Pain exploded in his head, and Kwei roared before dropping to the floor, both of his arms miraculously released from the Queen's hold as he brought them to his skull, feeling as if his brain was being torn apart. He looked at his hands, but was surprised to find nothing there at all; there was no blood, just pain.

But now he could hear something. He looked up, growling at the Queen that had sat back, still looking at him and trilling endlessly in an annoying, constant sound. Beyond that, however, he felt a different sound. As if a faint voice was calling him.

(_Why…_)It whispered, (_why? Why why why why why…..?_)

"Why what?" Kwei muttered, opening his wristband.

(_Why should I kill you?)_

Kwei froze, looking up from what he was doing into the face of the young Queen. The creature chirped, the sound seeming to be more a laugh than a random noise, now, and stood. As the Yautja watched in astonishment, she calmly trotted over to the book and opened it once more. After a moment she snorted, and Kewi sensed a deep frustration bubbling in the back of his mind.

"Ell-osde…" he said, nearly wordless, "Ell-osde can speak?"

The Queen looked up, seeming surprised. She then shrugged, a remarkably human gesture, and curled her tail around her feet. Kwei was again reminded of a species on this world known as a cat, and wondered. Where had this Queen come from? Why hadn't it killed him? What had it done to him? What was it?

* * *

_I cringed, the mysterious force that allowed me to understand thoughts from the creature biting into the deep wounds caused by my experiences at the slaughterhouse. What was I? I didn't know… They called me monster, freak. They called me perfect, and a Queen. They called me abomination. I was too many things to answer. _

_I took another moment to look at the creature, which was still standing blankly near the spot where I had slammed it into a wall. A soft growl escaped me; for I was angry with myself for letting my screaming instincts take over when it had slashed at me. I had not intended to fight, nor had I intended anything else. What I had planned was that the creature would wake and leave; that was all. _

_It gasped suddenly, falling to one knee. I stood quickly, surprised, and let a specialized pulse of sound wash over it. I should have known that it was in no condition to stay on its feet after what had happened. It had been in no condition to fight, and yet it had. I was still amazed that it wasn't already dead. It stiffened as I walked over, hands hovering over the metal device on its arm. I didn't know what it did, but I knew that the device was dangerous._

I won't harm you…

_The creature growled, disbelieving, and I stopped at a reasonable distance from it. It was still struggling to rise from its kneeling position, breath coming fast as the burned muscles protested the recent actions they had been put through. This was a foolish creature, and proud, to refuse my help. It would end up killing itself in this way._

Let me help you, you fool!_ I growled commandingly, annoyed at this creature's behavior. What had I done to make it so wary of me? I had saved it from the humans, as it had saved me indirectly, but it showed no gratitude. I would be surprised if it even thought of me as intelligent, seeing as how it was shocked to find I could understand and 'speak' in my own way. _

_Not that I was relaying any words, no. I merely thought, and was understood. I had no language except that I had learned to understand of humans and felines. _

_"Keep away, Hard Meat," the creature snarled. I bristled; it had called me that many times now. Was the name what its species called my kind? Was that what we were, just meat for them? My anger grew as the possibility became more real by the passing seconds. I finally exploded, screeching and slamming a hand into the creature's skull just hard enough to knock it out. _

_It slumped over, and I dragged it back to the room I had given it. It would stay there and recover, even if I had to force it to remain long enough. Now that it wasn't forcing itself to move, I could hear the creature's body starting the long process of healing itself. The noise was miniscule, and at the very limits of my hearing, but was there. _

Don't move, you idiot creature_, I hissed at it, feeling the edges of its consciousness begin to rise into an alert state. It groaned and one hand twitched automatically. I was reminded of the wristband, and investigated it while the creature was still slightly out, seeing if I could perhaps remove it before it woke enough to try and stop me. Doing so would eliminate much of the trouble that might arise during the recovering time._

_The release button was easy to find on the device, and I slipped it off just as the creature rose to complete wakefulness. It hissed; it's head rising instantly as it grabbed for me. I pulled away, the strange device held firmly in my jaws. The creature could deal with a bit of saliva if it wanted the mechanism back. _

_"Give it back!" the creature barked. I clicked and shook my head._

Lie still, creature_, I hissed, _You are still recovering from electrocution, and must not move. I will give the device back to you when you agree to stay long enough to heal.

_"Stay here?" the creature actually trilled, much like I did when amused, "With a Hard Meat? I am no fool; you want me as a host for your young. That is the only reason you have not killed me yet… or perhaps I am already infested…"_

_A host? As the cat was for me? I shuddered in remembrance; I didn't want any creature to go through the pain that my host had in his final moments. The creature turned its head, looking at me. I wondered briefly what was under the mask before I growled and answered._

You're not infested, creature. I have no young, and I would gladly kill any I had to prevent another creature from dying the way my own host had when I emerged.

_"Not a light statement, Hard Meat," the creature whispered._

Answer, creature,_ I said, lithely trotting over to stand near it's head, _and your device is returned. I want no trouble; I wish only to live in peace.

_"Stop calling me 'creature'."_

What are you, then?_ I asked, leaning back on my haunches and tilting my head quizzically. This creature didn't say much, and didn't give much information. I hoped that this wasn't the beginning of something that would play out repeatedly in the days to come._

_"I am a Yautja warrior," it hissed, "My name is Kwei."_

_Kwei? A strange name it was… but I was no creature to judge upon the names of others. I myself had no name, and all the names I had heard were human names, which were foolish and boring in themselves. And its species was Yautja… why was I known as a Hard Meat?_

What am I?_ I asked it softly, the question bubbling up unbidden. It seemed to know of me, of my kind. If it had answers, I wanted them. I wanted to know if I was truly the monster in this world._

_What am I?

* * *

_

Kwei didn't answer right away, for he was too surprised at the question. She didn't know what she was? He growled slightly, not knowing where to begin.

(_Just think of my kind, and think loudly,_) the Queen said, the longing in her voice surprising. Kwei did as he was asked, trying to keep his own opinions and training out of the thoughts. He showed her of the different stages of her kind, the basic structure, what she was…

He stopped suddenly, aware of the quiet keening sound coming from the Queen. She was sitting limply, head bowed in a gesture that Kwei was surprised to see. Why was she so saddened by the answers he had given her? In fact, the once strong creature looked defeated.

(_I am a monster)_ she said quietly, (_As the humans called me, so I am. I am no perfect creature, as the white coated human described me; I am the abomination._)

"Ell-osde are different," said Kwei, still amazed to find himself lying, injured, on the floor next to a Kainde Amedha that wasn't attacking. Yes, this creature was different from the others. She was a worthy beast.

She needed a name.

(_A name?_) Kwei growled; he hadn't realized that she was still listening to his thoughts. The Queen was not aware of the moral factors of her powers, it seemed, (_I have no name… why do I need one?_)

"Ell-osde are different," Kwei repeated. It was the only explanation he could come up with. He thought hard, wondering what the creature would want to be called. A hundred possibilities flashed through his mind, but then, he remembered…

"Screetee Scraa," he said softly, "It was the only sound that ell-osde made when I attacked."

"Screee," the Queen hissed aloud, "Screetee scraaaaaa."

(_I am Screetee Scraa_,) she murmured, musing, (_and I am different…_)

"Can I have the device back, now?" Kwei asked, snorting. Screetee shrugged, still looking at him eyelessly.

(_Do you agree to heal?_)

Kwei growled, thinking of the different possibilities of what might happen if her refused, and finally sighed.

"If I must."

* * *

_GAHHH! (Bashes editor) Why won't it let me put in the little arrow-thingys for Screetee's thoughts? WHYY!_


	6. Learn by Betrayal and Budding Friendship

_I have returned! With an insanely long chapter! Go me _

_Now, as to many of you assumptions that Screetee was a drone? Well, I have a theory that I'm sure you'll think is interesting. You see, Screetee was originally a drone, but in my threory a drone can metomorphisis into a Queen if the right conditions are met, namely having no other Xenomorphs around and being female. Interesing, ne? That explains the fact that the crest was still developing when Kewi saw her, and the fact that she's so very small for a Queen._

_As for other questions and comments: Yes, I will be adding another Xenomorph, but it won't be born from a human, sorry. It'll be... different, that's allI can say. But not different like Screetee!_

_Space Jockey will be added later in the fic, and I will be taking DarkXeno's sugesstion for a major storm scene. Speaking of DarkXeno; no, I'm afraid I don't know anywhere where you can get that chestburster stuff... although I have heard of shirts like that that you can get in a store... I'm sure you can find something on google image search, that's where I find most of the stuffI look at._

_Humans are protrayed better in this chapter, though many still die, yes. Sorry, it's just my choice to hate human characters XD. _

_I want to dedicate this chapter to the two who were most influential in it's creation, DarkXeno and RaptorChick. I recently read X13 (should've a long time ago) and it inspired me to write pretty much this wholechapter in about three hours. _

_I also thank my new reviewers! (glomps reviwers and hands out hybrid chestbursters) Thanks for coming and commenting, I appreciate it. It helps me a lot to know your opinions!_

_Translations!_

**Chiva**: Test, Trial  
**H'sai-de**: A scythe-like sword  
**Ki its-pa**: Spear  
**Ki cti-pa**: Wristblades  
**C'jit**: Damn  
**Ell-osde' pauk**: Fuck you  
**Pauk**: Fuck  
**Pauk-de**: Fucker/fucking  
**M-di H'chak**: No Mercy  
**M-di H'dlak**: No Fear  
**Ell-osde**: You  
**Thei-de**: Death, die, kill  
**Kainde Amedha**: Hard meat (referring to Xenomorph)  
**Ooman**: Human

* * *

"Pauk-de Oomans!" snarled Kwei as he checked the room for his missing weapons. He remembered now where he had left them, where they would remain only if he was lucky. The elders would be furious! Humans were not to have Yautja technology under any circumstances, and his case would not be taken lightly at all.

(_You need your weapons?_) Screetee asked lightly. Kwei growled in assent before going back to his furious and futile pacing. The Kainde Amedha stood from her sitting position on the floor and stretched, yawning hugely in a grotesque display of teeth.

"C-jit!" Kwei barked, kicking a barrel so hard that it flew through the air to smash against the concrete wall. He'd go himself to get the weapons back, but his cloaking device was in need of repair and the Yautja warrior did not have the time or patience to fix it in his mood. All he could do was take his anger out on the room around him.

(_I can go and get them for you, if you so wish,_) offered the Queen, surprising Kwei so completely that he stopped in mid pace and slowly turned to her. The Kainde Amedha trilled quietly and lashed her tail, amused; (_It will not be much work for me. I know the lay of the Slaughterhouse and can escape if need be._)

"Ell-osde don't even know what they look like," growled the Yautja dismissively and condescendingly, returning to his pacing. Screetee let out a fast paced series of high-pitched clicks; it was her version of extreme annoyance, and leapt in front of Kwei. The warrior stopped and glared down at her, noting her peculiar, defiant posture and slightly arched back before being slammed into the ground. He groaned, anger flaring up in the back of his mind.

(_Don't you dare think so dismissively of me, Yautja!_) hissed Screetee, the fury in her voice shocking, (_I offer to do a favor and yet you act this way? My race may be monsters, but yours has no sense of honor!_)

Kwei roared, throwing her off from him and standing in one fluid movement. Screetee's words had struck a dormant nerve within him, and now the conflict exploded tenfold. He slashed at her with his Ki cti-pa, the gleaming blades coming to a stop merely a hairsbreadth from her skull. She stood still and stiff-legged, growling and unfazed by the Yautja's actions. Kwei rumbled threateningly.

"Honor and glory is the life of a warrior," he snarled quietly, "M-di h'chak, m-di h'dlak. I should thei-de ell-osde for that remark."

(_Honor is only gained by self-sacrifice,)_ snorted the Queen, ( _Kill me if you will, Yautja, but my offer still stands._)

Kwei tensed, his arm ready to slam forward and drive the twin blades into the head of this frustrating creature that he had been forced to ally himself with, but suddenly he sighed and withdrew, the wristblades shooting back into their sheaths with a sharp, metallic snick. He wanted to fight this Kainde Amedha, he wanted very much to take it's head as a trophy, but somehow he could not bring himself to kill a beast that he knew would not fight for its own life. Screetee was different; she knew how to play this game of minds.

Most frighteningly, she knew how to win.

(_You have lost your Ki its-pa and H'sai-de, am I correct?_)

"How the pauk do you know those names?" demanded Kwei, almost ready to run the creature through. Screetee trilled her laughter, her bladed tail connecting lightly with the concrete floor and ripping a shallow chunk out of the stone.

(_You have been repeating them much lately through your thoughts, Yautja,_) she replied casually, (_I know more than you think, Kwei._)

"C'jit Kainde Amedha," grumbled the warrior, sitting painfully on an overturned barrel. The wood groaned beneath him, threatening to collapse before finally springing back lightly. Kwei winced slightly as his muscles throbbed yet again; how he wished he could kill that scientist once more!

(_Without the wires, this time, I hope)_ muttered Screetee. Kwei glared at her, and she cocked her head quizzically before springing off through the door, (_I will return soon, Yautja. Wish me luck on this Chiva._)

"Stop listening to my thoughts, Screetee," growled Kwei angrily, taking a small human utensil from the nearby table and studying it before slowly crushing the silver object in his hands. He let it fall to the floor with a clatter, staring down at the slightly glowing blue shape before switching his mask back to thermal vision and relaxing against the wall behind him. He would have enough time to sleep in safety before the Kainde Amedha returned, hopefully with his weapons in tow.

* * *

Damn Yautja, _I growled, my thoughts wide and angry,_ Does everything I do have to end up in a confrontation? I only wish to help… how is that so hard to accept?

_I dashed through the alleyway, throwing snow in every direction as I barreled through the cold, white crystals. Normally, I might have taken the time to investigate the unique design of each flake, but this time I had a mission. I knew that the humans had probably taken the weapons I had agreed to find, and that they wouldn't let them out of their possession without a fight. The thought made me sigh, for I knew that any confrontation would end in either my death or that of the human that fought me._

_It was late evening, judging by the sound of the land around me as I ran. Everywhere things were getting colder, creaking and groaning as the weight of the chill settled upon them and made the substance of their being withdraw into itself. My armor was beginning to form a slight frost on the outside edges, the usually moist substance that coated it starting to freeze in the below zero weather. There was no time to shake it off, especially if I wished to get to the slaughterhouse and back to the lair before the true cold of midnight shrouded the land._

_I slowed as I neared the spot where I had been shot at, the painful, circular slash in my shoulder armor testament to my first trouble of the previous morning. Had it truly been just three short days since I had been, in effect, born unto this world? It seemed like a lifetime ago that I had been safe and warm within my host, feeding of his thoughts and emotions and basking in the love of our family…_

_His family, not mine. I whimpered slightly, slinking through the space that I had dodged the bullet in as if it held some hidden punishment. It did, in a way, for the space held not only unpleasant memories, but unpleasant truths as well. My family was not mine, it was, and had always been, my host's. I had merely been an observer; one that hadn't belonged and would never belong. _

_They would kill me if they saw me, now. _

_I ran, leaving behind my troubles in the rush of the freezing wind and the nip of the now night air. It was unfortunate that I couldn't see in colors as my host had, for I missed the comfort of the stars above after the sky had turned dark and mysterious. It was one of the many things I had left behind since my birth, one of the many things I missed and longed to feel again. I doubted that the girl would ever hug a creature like myself, though, as she had done for the cat._

_The battered door of the slaughterhouse came into view, jogging me out of my thoughts. It was a relief to see that there was no signs of humans near the complex, but I wanted to be certain. I pulsed sound through the ground, letting all the walls vibrate and show me what lay inside. It was an easy way to see if the weapons were there, as well. The sound returned to me in the form of thin, spidery silver outlines in my black world._

_I screeched, loudly and vehemently, as I saw that all the bodies and even the animals were gone. The frozen meat had disappeared, as well, adding insult to the clearing. I growled; this mission was unlikely to be easy. _

_Now I had to rely on smell alone to track those that had taken the weapons. I trotted to the rutted and torn up snow outside the building, sniffing deeply to gain a good knowledge of the bitter and polluted scent of burning gas and rubber. I had a feeling that those scents alone would be unable to guide me on my way, however, and rooted about in the flaky white fluff until I had identified the tangy scent of blood. _

_I shook violently, feeling my stiff and uncomfortable armor creak slightly in protest, and trotted off in the direction of the scents. They were at least eleven hours old, but the snow and cold had preserved them so that they were as if they had just been made an hour ago. Though I had never before tracked anything in my short yet adventurous life, this seemed to be a fairly good foundation for the already instinctual talents that I had._

_As I looked toward the direction of the tracks, however, I felt my spirits fall. _

_The trail was headed directly towards the heart of the city.

* * *

_

_The sounds as I neared the city was tenfold that of the quiet, lonely alleys I was used to, and I kept to the shadows as much as possible as I tried to make sense of the conflicting images that spidered their way through my head, the lines forming and being almost immediately overthrown by louder, fresher sounds. The scents assailed my nostrils, hundreds of unidentified substances each giving off their own unique fragrance that, for the most part, were not at all pleasant. _

_After a few blind, terrified moments of clinging to the shadowed side of a brick house, I learned quite by accident that if I made loud, high-pitched sounds, I could drown out the deafening noise of the metropolis and find my way more confidently. The only catch to that was to make the sounds pitched above normal human hearing, as I had done before my escapade at the slaughterhouse, to avoid the unwanted attention of the swarming creatures. As it was, I knew that I would be hard pressed to avoid notice, for some areas were crawling with humans and I had almost no place to go but above, where my claws gouged into the walls. Though I felt safer out of the humans line of sight, traveling above them was impractical, for the scents would be lost before I had proper time to track them. _

_With an uncharacteristic sigh, I dropped to the ground. This place was cleared of snow, and water was melted along with a tangy substance that reminded me of blood, though was as clear as the water itself and seemed to burn into the frozen stuff like my own blood did with most other substances. This scent was enough to make following the trail difficult, and I struggled to keep the track. It didn't help at all that, every few moments, I had to leap away and hide within the darkness to avoid either a group of humans or a large, rolling creature that I remembered only from television. They were 'cars', if I had heard the name correctly, and humans placed a great deal of value on owning one. I had also learned from my host exactly how dangerous they could be, for we had often come close to being killed by one while crossing the concrete paths that humans set down for them to run on. _

_I snarled as one passed, its loud rumble shaking my vision before I cleared it with a strong pulse of sound. Avoiding these was beginning to become annoying, for there were far too many in this city. I debated just dashing through the street and to my destination, wherever it happened to be, but my better judgment was against it. Being seen now would be foolish, not to mention possibly fatal. I had no wish to repeat the incident at the slaughterhouse._

_The trail, though faint, was beginning to get stronger, goading me into a faint feeling of hopefulness. Perhaps I would be able to find the weapons without too much trouble, after all? I sent out a series of sound waves, letting the long distance pulses reveal to me the layout of my surroundings. _

_There were more cars than I had thought, all roaring down the street in a long line and moving faster than I had thought possible. It was much faster than I could run, I knew that much; I felt with a cold dread that if I was pursued by one of these machines, my only hope would be my agility. Nothing else would save me. With a shudder, I forced my attention from the cars and focused on the large building before me. Based on the scents, I guessed that the vehicles carrying Kwei's weapons had gone there. I had only to cross the street in front of the speeding cars to arrive and complete my mission._

_I growled, crouching down on my legs and lashing my long tail. The sound let me see the wicked, devilish blade, and somehow I was comforted; at least I was not defenseless. With a cautious tread I inched my way out of the shadows, flinching at a loud, metallic clatter as my shaking legs connected with a large, hollow container filled with garbage. I curled my lip, my teeth bared at the noisy thing, before sensing a break in traffic and leaping across the street._

_There was instant chaos._

_Tires screeched as the vehicles screamed to a halt, their owners opening doors and screaming garbles words at me. I cringed, frozen, in the middle of the street. The noise was blinding me, and the screeching had filled my vision with a blurry silver much like that of the gun blast at the slaughterhouse. Before I could lose any more of my vision, I screamed out in anger, the sound instantly solidifying my tenuous hold on my sight. The humans cried out, flinching at the sound, and I took my chance and dashed across the remaining distance, stumbling in surprise when another car slammed on its brakes to avoid colliding with me. It stopped bare inches from my nose, and I took no time in putting as much distance as I could between it and me._

_The sight of the cold, blank brick wall of the building filled me with a sort of dull relief, and I scaled it with little difficulty. As I leapt over the top, landing rather painfully on the roof, I heard the confused and angry sounds of the humans below me. Apparently, they didn't believe that they had seen me, which was a good thing. In some cases, I supposed, it was fortunate to be a monster…_

_I stalked to the other side of the roof, glad to see the high walls of other buildings on all sides and the dark, damp alleyways between. No human would see me, here. I climbed down carefully, searching for a window that would allow me access into the mysterious structure. Luckily, there was one large enough for me near the bottom, and I was able to remove it with no problem. I had hoped that there would be an outside latch, but seeing as the window was near ground level, the humans had decided on safety and had an inside latch. Well, it was safe against other humans…_

_The inside of the building was tightly compacted, built of several small rooms with walls that reached just above my head when I was standing. I had to crane my neck to send sound waves above them without rearing back on my hind legs, but for my mission, I decided that this type of environment was better to hide in case any trouble arose. _

_I scented the floor, wrinkling my lips at the heavy human musk that pervaded everything. It was a type of smell that reminded me of both animals and machines, somehow, as if humans were a mix of both. I wondered idly how this was possible while trying to identify the scent that had brought me here. _

_The scent wasn't in this area, but as I pulsed sound through the corridors, I hit upon something familiar. Well, it wasn't familiar to me, exactly, but Kwei had often sent this image to me without realizing it. I thrummed happily, trotting forward easily to sniff the compacted weapon. It was the Ki its-pa, and next to it was a device that I had no idea what it was for. Both were lying in plain sight on a table set in the middle of the room, almost as if they were asking to be taken._

_I leaned forward, about to close my jaws around the weapon, before a thought struck me. I sent concentrated pulses of sound through the entire building, feeling the floor under me shake slightly with the supersonic vibrations. Slowly, an entire blueprint of the lay of the building revealed itself to me, melting through my mind and only fading when the vibrations began to slow. I mentally frowned, keeping the sound up as I studied the corridors and hidden passages. There were no humans present at all, a fact that slightly surprised me, and through all I could sense a slight interference with my vision. _

_It all seemed a bit suspicious, to me. And where was the H'sai-de? I needed that, as well, before I would return. With a snarl of annoyance, I fine-tuned my pulses, quickening the pace and making them stronger so that they would be able to penetrate thick walls. _

_I found it, and I saw the trap that had been set for me._

_With a feral snarl, I turned from the Ki its-pa and tore down the corridor, making a beeline for the weakest point of the trap. I could already hear and see the humans as they moved about in shock, surprised by my actions. They had been watching me, I realized, watching me with the device set on the table next to the spear. It was what had been interfering with my sight, in however small a manner, but it had also first made me aware of the unusual atmosphere, and for that I was thankful._

_Humans were too foolish for their own good._

_The scythe-like sword was in another room, the one with the humans and also the one I was headed for. I knew they were armed, but I was too angered to care. They had tried to trap me, they had tried again to make me into some animal, some beast that was only there for their own use! My claws tensed, ripping through the short-fibered carpet as I ran. _

_I slammed into the door before I could slow, but the impact fazed me not. With a sound somewhere between a ripping shriek and a agonized scream, I clawed at the handle, managing to open it slightly before it was slammed back on my talons, making me screech loudly in pain before wrenching my feet out of the steadily increasing grip. _

_I leapt into the door once more, hearing the panicked cried of the humans as they tried to keep it closed. They had made me angry, and it was easy for me to forget myself in my bloodlust, to forget who I was and my mission. I was merely the hunter, now, the bloodthirsty beast._

_"Goddammit all to hell! Keep that fuckin' Xeno back!"_

_"The damn thing's strong, sir, we can't keep it at bay for long!"_

_Yes, I was strong! I purred slightly at the praise before renewing my vicious attack on the infuriating door. It would be so much easier to just blow it away…_

_"I never thought the fucker would be smart enough to figure it out!" snarled one of the humans, grunting with effort as I clawed at the door, "The trap was perfect!"_

_"Wasn't this supposed to be a Pred?"_

_"Monstrosities always have something up their sleeves," growled a calmer voice. I snarled all my anger condensing into something that was as tangible as daylight. It pervaded my silvery vision, turning it white and stark before bleeding down, a shocking mass of wispy red lines that showed all of the room within without sound. I saw the terrified faces of the humans, all except one. He stood in the middle of the room, looking impassively as the others struggled with the lurching and bucking door. It was strange to see it from this perspective, though the thought was at the back of my fogged mind. _

_He had the weapon. He was the one I was after._

_The red disappeared, and the white slowly collapsed in on itself to form a single, brilliant point of light that fed my anger, fed my soul with its power. I felt the rush, laughing mentally with glee as the door before me ripped in two as if a giant, white-hot blade had sliced across it. The humans within jumped back, some screaming as they saw their missing fingers or arms. I chuckled as I stalked into the room, tail lashing forward and connecting with the chest of one human._

_I lifted him easily, studying his terrified face that was contorted with agony. He struggled feebly, clawing with his weak human fingernails at my hard chitin in an attempt to remove my blade. I threw him across the room with contempt; he was dead anyway, though he hadn't realized it yet._

_It was then that the others gained their senses, and started firing._

_I reared back as a dozen bullets penetrated my body, punching through the hard black exoskeleton and damaging the tissue within. My acidic blood spilled out over the floor as I thrashed, burning irregular holes all across the room and sometimes connecting with human skin. They screamed and threw their affected clothing to the ground, limbs trembling as the blood stuck to their bare skin and ate through in seconds, leaving them with horrible burns. _

_It was little compared to my agony, and I screamed with a fury to match that of any creature on the planet, still dripping blood as the ones able to fired once more. The pain matched that of before, but I somehow broke through the cloud of anguish to leap upon my enemies. _

_They may have had a chance against me, but their fear was their downfall. Instead of standing to fight, they crawled and gibbered madly on the acid eaten floor, trying desperately to escape. I brought them down one by one, always aware of the captain and the calm man standing near the opposite wall. They made no move, and so had not gained my attention as of yet. _

_I dispatched the last human with a well-aimed lash of my second maw, breaking through the back of his skull as he fell to the floor. They had been no easy prey, by any means, but now that my anger was slightly sated, I felt some pity for them. They had had no idea of what they were facing…_

_"Well done, Xenomorph," came the monotonous drone of the calm man. I whirled, my blood-coated muzzle curling back to show my sharp, silver teeth. The man laughed, surprising his partner into taking his attention from me for a moment._

_I dashed forward, my claws skittering on the pitted floor. The captain turned back just quickly enough to get a shot off before I barreled into him, but the damage was done. I felt my left leg explode in pain as I slumped to the floor, the bone snapped and hanging limply from the well-aimed shot. The captain struggled and managed to escape my grasp, reaching the wall and gasping with relief only to turn and meet the blade of my hovering tail. His mouth opened, eyes going blank, before that tail sliced neatly across his neck. _

_Hot blood gushed to the floor, and I didn't bother to send out any sound to see if the captain had been killed or not. The wet thump as he struck the ground was enough to reassure me of that fact. No, my attention was on the calm man, who hadn't moved at all through this entire scene._

_"A pity, really," he said, looking at my injured leg before sighing, "You should really be more careful, Xenomorph. It would be unfortunate to lose a specimen such as you to foolish injuries."_

You call me Xenomorph_, I hissed, _Is it just another term for monster? Is that all I am to you humans?

_"Intelligent… more so than I would have guessed," said the calm man, looking me over as if I was some sort of trophy. Suddenly, he extended a hand and smiled warmly, "Xenomorph is your species name, young one. And I have come with an offer."_

_I stared at the hand blankly, my lip curling._

_"Come with me," said the human, still smiling, "I can give you a home, a place where you will never be thought of as a monster. I can see you've been through a lot, and I don't want you in pain, young one. I can help you, if you'll let me."_

_I hesitated, suddenly torn. A home… did he mean like the family? Could he give me a family? Did he truly want to help me?_

_"A place where you'll be loved for what you are," pressured the calm man, "A… a family."_

_I winced, backing up slightly as they very words I had been thinking came into being. I had longed for this type of opportunity since my birth, since I had learned of my nature… The man looked at me, his eyes bright and understanding. His arm was still extended, still beckoning me. I trilled softly, sending a soft sound wave across the room._

_The bodies reappeared, and I frowned slightly upon seeing them. Hadn't those humans had families? Hadn't they once had happiness?_

_Hadn't I taken it away?_

_And the calm man stood among it all as if nothing had happened, offering me a home… Didn't he care about his own? He knew about my kind, why hadn't he warned them?_

_"My name is Gareth, "said the man softly, sensing that my attention was elsewhere and trying to get my focus back on him, "Do you have a name?"_

_He was the first living being that had ever asked me that, the first that had ever though enough of me to assume I might have one. I cautiously extended my muzzle forward, coming close to touching his hand before I answered._

_"Screetee Scraa," I hissed quietly._

_"Screetee Scraa?" he asked lightly. His smiled widened when I nodded very, very slightly, "A fine name for a fine person, Screetee. Do you want me to help you? Do you want a family?"_

_I pulled back slightly, sending another sound wave over him. Gareth didn't move, just kept his arm out, hand offered to me. I felt like a lost creature, drowning in a sea of suspicion and longing. I wanted to believe him, I really did. With a small mewl, I leaned forward and touched my carapace against his hand, leaning into it as he stepped forward and stoked my skull, by no means revolted by my appearance. _

_I leapt back in surprise as images and visions flashed confusedly through my mind. Gareth cried out in sudden fear as I screamed in pain, my injured limb cracking against he floor because of my movement. I saw things, horrible things. _

_Eggs, Xenomoprh eggs. Humans… Testing. Horrible mutants…. Dead chestbursters stacked in piles. Experiments…. Cold, sterile rooms… My own kind being ripped apart as savagely as I had done to any human in my anger by huge, expressionless machines. _

_I shook my head violently, and new images came to the fore. These, however, had sound…_

_"These! These are the ones I want,"_

_"They're the ones most opposed to Xenomorph testing, am I correct?"_

_"Yes, they are. They've been making trouble for me, I want them eradicated!"_

_Papers… images… humans…. _

_"I want a trap…"_

_The building I was in… A massacre of humans… A cold, disgusting feeling of accomplishment…_

_Me…_

_I growled slightly, backing up, and saw myself doing the same in my mental image. I looked like a wreck, with my leg broken and oozing acidic blood on the floor, dozens of holes in my black armor dripping the green liquid. My tail, the blade chipped in three places from glancing bullets, was covered in steadily hardening red blood. _

_But I noticed one thing about myself that was surprising; I had blue stripes streaking down my muzzle, originating where eyes would have been and ending at the edges of my slightly open and panting mouth. More lines glided along my spine, glowing slightly under florescent lights above. _

_It was then that I realized that I was seeing through the human's eyes, and that the memories and thoughts I saw were none other than his own._

_A loud and steady screeching starting, the sound conveying without words a deep, painful betrayal that consumed the soul. I snapped back to myself, the sound painting the image of the surprised and frightened human before me. For a moment, I wondered where the sound was coming from. Finally, I knew that it was my own cry I was hearing, my own pain and anger that was pouring from me in the wash of powerful sound. _

_Gareth screamed, falling to his knees with his hands pressed against his ears. I could hear the sound of thick blood flowing from the sides of his head. With a snort, I suppressed my cry and glared eyelessly at the human, He thought me gullible? He thought to use my own foolish dreams against me?_

Ell-osde pauk!_ I growled at him, using the creative vocabulary I had learned from Kwei. At least the Yautja had accepted me for what I was, no matter how much he made it known that he didn't trust me. At least he was honest. I had no fear of lies with him. With this human, I would never be sure of my place. He was lying to me even now, his false smile still placed, albeit rather uncertainly and painfully, on his lying face, _You think me a fool? I will be no test subject for you, human!

_"I don't want to test you, I want to give you a home!"_

Liar!_ I screamed, making the human wince and more blood trickle from his ears, _Truth speaks more powerfully than the false dreams you have presented me with! Die!

_I slashed, but suddenly found my claws blocked by the sharp blade of the H'sai-de. A snarling scream escaped me as more of my blood splashed onto the human's face, making him yowl and fall to the floor, uselessly scrabbling as the pain overtook him. I looked at my severed claw. It was only one, but it was a loss that made my anger boil. I whipped my blade forward, hitting the human's back with all of my strength with the blunt side. The sound of his spine snapping and his head cracking against the hard floor from the force filled me with an irrational glee, and I decided to leave him crippled for the rest of his life instead of killing him. He deserved no pity from me, or any other._

_I wanted him to suffer._

_I took the H'sai-de in my teeth, relishing my victory, and limped painfully to the door. I couldn't put any pressure on my broken leg, but I could walk if I was careful. I hoped I had enough strength left to make it back to the lair. _

_Getting this far only to be killed by some car would be a waste, anyway.

* * *

_

Kwei woke with a start at a loud, clattering and scrabbling noise coming from the other room. The Yautja tensed, the Ki cti-pa extending from the device on his forearm and gleaming in the low light of morning that filtered through the small, inadequate window. A snarling hiss from the doorway made him start in recognition, and he stepped forward carefully, still untrusting of the creature that had assigned itself as his caretaker.

As he opened the door, Kwei hissed in surprise. Screetee dropped the two weapons at his feet, limping away angrily and plopping down next to her prized possession; her book. The acid blood that was running in rivulets down her body sizzled as it hit the floor, burning more holes into the already pitted and gouged concrete.

"What happened!" the Yautja demanded, withdrawing his wristblades and bending to pick up his other weapons, inspecting them quickly to make sure they were intact before turning to the Queen, "Screetee?"

(_Leave me be, Yautja)_ Screetee said quietly, her mental voice weary. Kwei furrowed his brow behind the mask; the Kainde Amedha seemed to have gone through seven layers of hell to have gotten his weapons, and he felt, distantly, as if he owed her a favor or, at the very least, treatment for her wounds.

Kwei took an attachment off from his armor, enlarging the device to reveal a medical kit with several tools. He winced as he looked at them; many would not stand up against the corrosive blood of the creature. With a shrug, he prepared a small, metal disk that burned with a potent green flame, crushing several strange materials in it to create a gel-like, bluish substance. Screetee looked at him eyelessly, seeming only distantly curious, before lying completely onto the floor. Kwei glanced up worriedly; her breath was short and coming in quick, pained gasps.

"Screetee, I will help ell-osde," he said, coming towards her with the filled disk.

(_I said leave me be, Kwei!_) snarled the Queen, her lips curling feebly as she struggled upright, (_I don't need your help, I only need rest._)

"Stay still!" The Yautja barked, trying to keep the bladed tail from connecting with him as the Kainde Amedha thrashed about. Her pained gasps increased as she put weight on her obviously broken limb, trying vainly to stand a put on an uninjured façade, "Do not be a fool, Screetee! Let me help ell-osde as ell-osde helped me!"

(_I don't need help!_)

Kwei growled and gripped the creature's face in his hands, looking her straight where her eyes would have been if she had had any. She struggled weakly, but finally ceased, her tail thrashing in annoyance. After the Yautja was certain that she wouldn't move, he released her.

"I never said letting me help ell-osde was a question," he said firmly, taking some of the blue substance from the disk with a long flat piece of metal, "Brace yourself; this will hurt."

Screetee tensed, taking the warning to heart, as the blue gel connected with her wounds. Her mouth opened in an agonized scream, body contorting in pain as she writhed in the Yautja's strong grip. Kwei placed one strong foot firmly on her thrashing tail, and the screaming continued as he treated the other wounds. When he had finally arrived at the broken leg, Screetee was doing little more than whimpering.

The splint took less time than treating the bullet wounds, but the last scream that escaped the Kainde Amedha was worse than any other that Kwei had ever before heard. He winced, wrapping the resilient material around the splints as the whimpering faded into a shuddering shiver. Screetee was strong, he knew, but the wounds she had gained were serious and she was probably in a state of shock.

Kwei gently took the creature's head in his hands, stroking her skull before carrying her to the table in the other room. In her state, Screetee would need to be away from the cold of the floor. He only hoped that the blue gel worked as fast for her species as it did for his.

"Ell-osde are a brave creature," he whispered softly, "Ell-osde said this was your Chiva. You have truly become a warrior, Kainde Amedha."

* * *

_Whoa, what a twist, eh? (chuckles) Edited this chapter bunches... now tis better._


	7. The Storm Approaches

_Hello again, readers! It is I, your favorite authoress! (ducks from random thrown objects)_

_Hehe, I've been writing a lot lately. Got two more chapters done already! But this is the only one I'm revealing for now, so Phhhttt! _

_In my opinion, it's kinda disjointed and not exactly the best one I've done, but I don't have inspiration like I did for the last chapter every day now, do I? (winks) Inspirational stories like that don't come along often._

_(cracks knuckles) Okay, onto question time! As to the question as to whether I liked DarkXeno's strom idea? Heck, __just read down and you'll seee... (nice story with the Cheeto's, too. I'd love to see a chestburster Cheeto, you could have sold it on Ebay) But I'm not putting in any giant man eating plants or the like from 'little shop of horror's', sorry. That would make this a crossover... and I don't want a crossover... yet. If I make a sequal (it's possible) I 'might' make a small crossover with different sci-fi movies like... well, can't think of any but it probably won't happen anyway._

_As for Genome Soildier's questions: Yes, this story does take place somewhere in America, Military is keeping the entire subject of Xeno/Preds very hushhush... so hushhush that most military opratives don't even know about it. Finally, the mercs that Screetee killed were (of course) mercs. They were also military type task forces, though, involved in the Xeno projects but highly opposed to them and making trouble for Gareth... okay, if I say anymore I'll ruin some of the rest of the story..._

_As for Crista's question about the Yautja's name (looks sheepish) it's Kwei. (sigh) I always do something like that... messing up names and such. I wouldn't even of relaized it if you hadn't seen it. I'm fixing a bunch of chapters now to correct it._

_Since I'm dedicating chapters now... This chapter is dedicated to Ranma Hibiki and Skuld's Sentaro3, who have been with the story since the very beginning and reviewed and pretty much every chapter. Thanks, guys, you helped a lot.

* * *

_

_I woke slowly, my dazed and throbbing mind drifting through half-formed and strange dreams of loneliness and pain. Where was I? What had happened? I couldn't remember anything past my voyage into the strange building. Was I still there? Why did I feel so numb?_

_Was I dead?_

_Suddenly, the memories of the horrific events rushed back to me, making me gasp and shoot upwards. I hissed as my movements jarred my broken forelimb, lifting it so that it rested tightly against my chest before biting down my pain and investigating the room. The quiet sound pulses showed me that I was back in my own lair, more surprisingly, I was in the room I had given the Yautja. I didn't remember coming in here…_

_As I was thinking this, Kwei himself walked in the door, cleaning one of the weapons that I had retrieved for him. He stopped suddenly as he saw that I was awake, his hiss of surprise loud in the relatively silent room. I winced at the loud metallic clang of the H'sai-de as it hit the floor, the sound sharp and cutting against my already oversensitive and hurting senses. The Yautja bent to receive it quickly, looking rather sheepish in his movements, and I began trilling in a chuckle before I had even realized it._

_The sound brought his attention back to me, and he growled lightly before attaching the scythe-like sword onto his belt. I saw before he had put it away, however, that the blade had an almost perfectly circular shape burned into it. With a slight snarl, I was reminded of my missing claw._

_That damn human bastard._

_"You have been sleeping for a long time, Screetee," said Kwei conversationally as he moved about the room, investigating random things that I was sure he had looked at many times before. I winced; realizing that staying here must be very boring to his kind. He was supposed to be out on a hunt, after all, that much I had learned from his mind when he had been thinking particularly loudly, "What happened?"_

_What had happened? The images flashed through my mind, confused and disorderly as I tired to make sense of them. A better question would be to ask what hadn't happened, I supposed. Then, before I answered, I was struck by a sudden thought…_

Why do you want to know? _I asked, suddenly suspicious as I slowly sat down on the wood. The Yautja had never cared about what I had done before, why did he care now?_

_He shrugged and sat on the overturned barrel. I could hear already that he was almost healed, and that his muscles no longer protested to movement as vehemently as they had done before. Soon, he would be able to leave and hunt again. Though I now hated most humans, the thought of them dying just for trophies was still unpleasant. _

_Perhaps Yautja measured it differently._

_"You left healthy, and you came back severely wounded... I am curious," Kwei said finally, his gaze locked on me. I squirmed slightly under the scrutiny, my lip curling up before I could stop it. Why did the creature always wear that expressionless mask? More than ever I wished to know what was behind that smooth piece of metal, if only to see what type of beings felt that they needed to be hidden behind such an object._

_Perhaps there was a way I could find out?_

If you wish to know, _I chuckled quietly,_ Then you must first let me see your face.

_Kwei stiffened indignantly._

_"What does that have to do with what happened?" he demanded, "Why should I do as you ask?"_

I am curious, also, _I responded, hearing the Yautja rumble uncertainly,_ It will also show a mutual trust, for if you can show me who and what you really are, then I can do the same and tell you of what occurred while I was looking for your weapons.

_He growled, but I could already see that he saw the logic in my reasoning. Reluctantly, he brought his clawed hands up to his face, slowly unfastening the small wires that connected to the intricately designed plate of metal. Small hisses accompanied this action, and I could faintly see minuscule puffs of vapor coming from each wire as it was taken from its moorings. I began to thrum, forming a constant and clear picture of the unmasking and the room around me._

_After what seemed like forever, Kwei moved one hand to grasped the front of his mask, gently taking it off from his face. As the metal was removed from my field of vision, I cocked my head in stunned regard, for he looked nothing like I had anticipated. _

_Four mandibles protruded, two on each side, from where cheeks would be on a normal human, making his mouth seem larger than it truly was. He had teeth, yes, but they were much like the teeth of a carnivore, small and very sharp, and set in the center of his mouth in a way that resembled a type of beak. Two small, deep-set, and yet bright eyes regarded me with both doubt and apprehension, the large, flat brow above furrowed as he studied my reaction. _

_I noted with some surprise that the thick dreadlocks framing his face, those that I had thought to be a part of his mask, were actually a part of him. They seemed to be a type of hair, originating from the top of his slightly crested head and flowing gracefully downwards. Interesting..._

_Even more interesting was the fact that my instincts were no longer screaming at me to leap and rend. In fact, the deep-set intuition had been suspiciously silent since I had woken. Noticing that Kwei seemed to be waiting for some sort of signal from me, I nodded with a satisfied series of clicks. He seemed relieved, and put the mask back on. I waited politely while he reattached the many wires on the side._

_"Now are you ready to tell what happened?" Kwei asked shortly, the eyes of his mask seeming hard and cold compared to what I had just seen._

Of course, _I said, my tail curling lazily around my limbs and twitching up and down in a contented fashion. I racked my brain as to how I was going to begin, however. It seemed the best place would be at the tracking… but I had no words for many things that had happened to me. Then, an idea occurred to me,_ Come closer, Kwei. This will take less time than me explaining it to you.

_"What are you going to do?" asked the Yautja, tilting his head as he stood. _

I am going to try to transfer my memories to you, _I replied quietly, not certain if it was a good idea. I had never tried to do something like this before; I wasn't even certain that it would work or that I wouldn't accidentally kill one or both of us My abilities were untested, untried, and I barely knew how to use them at all. But I had to try…_

_"Very well," said Kwei, his voice strong. Somehow, his strength reassured me that I would succeed, and I beckoned him closer. Soon, he was standing so that our faces were less than a foot apart. I could smell the sharp, almost overpowering scent of Yautja on him, hanging in the air almost like musk. I was suddenly glad of my silent instincts; I may not have been able to control them if they were still strong._

_I brought my head forward, lightly touching the forehead of the mask._

_It was as if the nightmare was real again._

_We both cried out, trying but somehow unable to pull away and break the connection. The events flashed by us, beginning from the moment that I had left the lair. I could hear the echo of every thought, every feeling, that I had had as I made my way to the slaughterhouse. I saw everything as I had seen it, knowing at the same time that Kwei did also. I wondered briefly what he made of it as my memories shifted to bring us on the journey to the city, the fear, the uncertainty, the sheer power of my instincts as I crawled from building to street to building once more._

_We felt as one the terror of the trip across the street, climbed as one to the top of the building._

_We saw, as one, the trap that had been set for us._

_And, as one, we sought our revenge. _

_I felt my anger once more as I saw my mad rush into the human room, felt the power of both human and alien screams as we killed them all within the span of no more than three minutes. I lost myself in my anger and pain, felt the present me snarling yet unmoving as I relived attacking the human captain, gaining the wound on my leg and again feeling the phantom of the overpowering agony that it put me through._

_I heard Kwei snarl, also. _

_We turned to face the calm man, by name of Gareth, again talking to him. Again feeling torn between the promise of a home and the reality of being a monster. We felt the indecision as one, felt the longing to be a part of something and accepted as we were, instead of being pushed away on false stereotypes. _

_We felt the final, faint feeling of hope as we walked towards that promise._

_We felt the burning betrayal as we saw the truth._

_And, as one, we crippled the man and staggered out into the night, bleeding, injured, but successful in our mission, the two weapons gripped tightly in out teeth. We no longer cared about cars, or humans, or anything else as we slipped into the shadows, the cold snow a welcome reminder of the only home we ever knew, the abandoned building that was our only recourse for safety._

_I pulled back finally, screeching loudly in surprise and remembered pain, as the connection was broken as suddenly as it had been formed. Dimly I noticed Kwei doing the same, his roar surprisingly like my own as we retreated back into our own minds. I hadn't meant for this to happen, I hadn't wanted the Yautja to see so much of my thoughts, my true feelings about myself and about what had happened. I had only wanted him to see the humans, how they had shot at me and how they had given me the injuries that I had gained._

_But it was too late to go back on it, now.

* * *

_

Kwei reeled, his mind overwhelmed by what he had just seen. With a gasp, he somehow found the overturned barrel and sat heavily on it, feeling the wood creak threateningly under his weight. He growled at it, and set about trying to make sense of the recent occurrence. As the images slowly and painfully sorted themselves out, he came to a conclusion.

Screetee was indeed different. More so than he had first believed when he had named her. He had had no idea of exactly how unique she was. Her thoughts and feelings, ones that he was certain she hadn't intended to give to him, gave him an insight onto the life of a Kainde Amedha that he had never before thought about.

Was he really the only one she trusted?

He remembered her thoughts as she faced the human, right after the betrayal. She had remembered him, thought of him as the only one that had not lied to her in some way. Kwei suddenly felt slightly guilty about keeping from her all the information he had about her kind; she trusted him to tell her the truth.

And he hadn't trusted her at all. Even after seeing with his own eyes so many times that she wanted to help him.

Kwei shook his head violently, thick dreadlocks flaring gracefully out behind him and settling back down upon his back, before finally looking up towards the object of his thoughts. Screetee was backed up against the far wall, her tail unusually motionless and her posture rigid. As the Yautja looked closer, he was surprised to see that her legs were trembling, but whether it was from pain or fright he couldn't tell. She still held her broken limb tight against her chest, as a wounded animal would do, and she seemed uncertain as to whether she should be snarling or whimpering.

"Screetee?"

Her head snapped up at the sound, but she refused to look at him. Her skull was angled fixedly in front of her, pointing towards the wall, and she finally backed up slightly, her claws scrabbling as she attempted to become one with the stone wall. Kwei inwardly winced at the trauma she was exhibiting; reliving those moments must have been a great strain on her already delicate mind.

He tried again.

"Screetee," still no change. Kwei decided to do something drastic, "I trust you, Screetee."

She tensed, muscles turning to solid iron under the hard chitin armor, and for a moment Kwei thought she was going to run or attack him. Then, agonizingly slowly, she relaxed. Inch by inch, her body moved away from it's flattened position near the wall, her legs stopping their trembling and her tail slackening from it's stiff pose. She was sitting normally now, her head swinging around slowly to face him.

(_It took you long enough,_) she said dryly, her quiet words barely brushing his mind enough for him to hear them. Kwei sat back with relief, taken aback to find that he had become so tense as he waited for the Kainde Amedha to come to herself. A thought suddenly came to mind as he felt the distant rumbling of his gut.

"Are ell-osde hungry?" he asked, politely ignoring the events that had recently occurred, "It has been many days since we have eaten."

Screetee shook her head to clear it, wincing slightly, and then nodded, (_I am…_)

Kwei rose smoothly, unhooking his spear from its place on his belt and clicking the hidden button on its side. It extended with a sharp whooshing sound, the ends sharp and gleaming wickedly. The weapon seemed as if it had never even come in contact with humans or anything else in the time it was lost, so perfectly did it work.

"I will go and hunt, then," Kwei said with a brisk nod, walking resolutely to the door. Screetee struggled upright as if to either stop him or accompany him; which she meant to do the Yautja wasn't certain. He rose a hand commandingly, stopping her, "No, Screetee. We need food to survive, and I am able to hunt better than ell-osde. Rest now, Kainde Amedha. In a short while I will return."

The Queen grumbled, but settled back down on the floor. Kwei got the distinct impression that she was glaring at him, even with the absence of eyes, and he clicked with amusement. Even injured, she didn't want to be left out of the hunt. She was a fine warrior, indeed.

Slightly disturbed by his thoughts, Kwei switched his mask to thermal vision, taking it out of the ultraviolet setting that he had gotten used to using within the walls of the lair. The surroundings changed to a cold, biting blue, showing that the outside temperature must be many degrees below zero. Kwei shuddered slightly; glad of the thermal-regulating netting that was a part of every warrior's armor. Without it, he probably would have frozen to death long ago.

He exited the abandoned building through the open window that Screetee had claimed as the exit, grunting slightly as his almost healed muscles twinged threateningly. He had hoped that they had healed completely…

It wasn't as if this hunt was going to be difficult, anyway.

* * *

_I growled as Kwei left, angry that I was not healed enough to go out and hunt for my own food. I felt as if I were a burden, now, instead of the powerful creature that I was. I wanted to hunt, to seek out my prey and rip it to shreds. I needed that relief from thinking, and the nourishment that would result…_

_Not to mention that I needed to get away from the turmoil that resulted from the recent memories that I had relived._

_With a snort, I limped to my own room, angrily bashing the half-open door out of the way. It cracked and fell with a sharp groan, and I winced. Now I had no door… _

_But it wasn't as if I reallyneeded one._

_I hopped into my room tiredly, my broken leg jarring repeatedly and the bullet wounds on my side beginning to burn painfully through the numbness that had covered them previously. My sound waves caught the shape of the book I had found on my travels, and I lay down next to it with a grunt, carefully opening the pages and sending gentle sounds to encompass it. _

_Again, I felt frustration bubble up in the back of my mind. This was hopeless! I could see nothing on the pages; they were all blank from my perspective. The silvery lines created by my echolocation showed me general shapes and details, but changes in color were impossible to perceive. _

_I snarled, tossing the book into a corner with my good forelimb. My injured leg was resting lightly against the floor, kept from weight by my useful extra arms that held my torso off from the cold ground. Still snarling, I turned and nuzzled the most irritating wounds on my hide, getting a face-full of strange gel in the process._

_This only served to annoy me more, and I shook my head with a growl, clawing at the gel substance that adhered to my muzzle with my good limb. It stuck fast, refusing to come off, and my efforts only served top make it smear over a larger area. I finally gave up, setting down to glare in no particular direction as I listened for any sign of Kwei's arrival. _

_It may have been only a half hour since he had left, but I had no idea how efficient Yautja were while hunting._

_My breathing slowed as I began to calm, and a soft purring sound shortly began to emerge from me as I studied nothing in particular. I was merely comforted to see the room around me, not having to concentrate on any specific detail, and the wounds that had been throbbing previously finally stopped hurting. _

_I had no idea how long I sat there, motionless and thrumming. Perhaps I fell asleep. Nonetheless, strange images began to form in my dormant mind, twisting around one another as I lay in an almost hypnotized state. Slowly, I came to myself and began paying attention to the images, surprised as they began to become clearer and more pronounced.

* * *

_

The creature woke slowly, agonizingly slowly. Its eyes were blurry with the length of its sleep, but as they cleared, it saw above it the masses of wires, the smooth curve of thick glass that held just a hint of frost on the edges. The glass shone with highlights and bright points of light, reflecting the beauty of the surroundings that lay past its glorious arc. Beyond that glass, however, was a bright, almost blinding light that made the creature squint.

Suddenly, the light was blocked out by the gigantic curve of some large mass. The creature gurgled, unable to speak, as it saw the fiery reds and oranges of the celestial body disappear into the dark curve. It liked the light; light meant life. Life meant… something….

The view slowly turned, giving better sight of the cosmos to the creature in its strange world. It coughed and jerked, unable to remember what had happened before. It knew there was something that had happened to make it come here. It knew it didn't belong here. It wanted to go back…

The strong, lengthened arms of the creature twitched as it struggled, flashes of memories assailing its garbled and dazed mind. There had been terror, anger, and fear. Understanding was there, also, as well as sadness and a touch of regret mingled with victory. What had happened?

Whatever had happened, the creature knew with a disturbing certainty that it was alone. No others had come with it.

It gazed upon the planet. Yes, it was a planet it was seeing, and the bright light before had been a star… a sun. Suddenly, on the glass above it, several strange green characters flashed on and off in a series of lights. The creature looked at them blankly, still too dazed to make sense of the situation, and a loud and urgent beeping began within the world it lay in. It grunted and looked out to the blue and green planet, seeing a large white and gray shape shift across the atmosphere in a slow and languid way.

Was this the cause of the beeping? It didn't look dangerous….

The beeping was suddenly accompanied by a voice.

"Life support system malfunction. Attempting to automatically reconnect… Reconnect failed."

Life support system? More memories flashed in the creatures mind, confusing it all the more.

"Searching present system for habitable planets… One found. Altering course to land on planet T-7 of star 930982-B. Estimating time of arrival."

Planet T-7? The name sounded familiar…

"Time of arrival estimated at Barcupp 1257.6, planet terms seven hours."

Seven hours? That was a long time… would the life support systems hold? The creature grunted again and brought a weary hand up, punching something into a nearby panel.

"Life support systems holding. Time of failure estimated at six hours, seventeen minutes."

Could the computer make the arrival time faster? The creature punched more buttons.

"Negative. Faster ETA would result in drop of survival percentage. Percentage already at 60 and dropping."

The creature growled and punched another button, its anger at the computer only stopped by the fact that it had to get to a safe area before the support systems went out. It hadn't gotten this far just to die, after all.

It didn't want to die, not when the memories had begun to string together into a coherent whole.

"Survival percentage dropping to 30, ETA now five hours, fifty-four minutes. Crash landing unavoidable."

The creature settled back, preparing itself for the trail that it would endure. All the while, it stared out in wonder at the blue planet, watching the swirling white as it formed into a deep circle. It had never seen anything like it before that it could remember…

* * *

_I shook my head, amazed. A creature… and I had been able to see through its eyes… _

_What was it, and why was it out in space? I had never before imagined that the stars I had seen from my host could have been such systems as the creature had known, but…_

_Had it all been a dream?_

_Suddenly, my head snapped up. There was something wrong in the air, something that hadn't been present before. It felt as if every molecule around me was charged with a powerful energy, and the air smelled sharp and clean. I stood, my limbs protesting vehemently as I shifted my weight, but I ignored the sharp pain and trotted to the window, sending out a high-pitched series of hypersonic waves that spread out for miles before finally beginning to reverberate back._

_Something was coming. Something big, and something dangerous._

_I leapt out of the building, wincing as I landed hard in the snow outside the window and stumbled, barely catching myself from falling into a wooden crate. My injured leg screamed as I moved it, nearly having to put weight on it to avoid the collision before my smaller arms shot out automatically. I sighed, relieved, and limped into a more open space, this time sending my sound waves directly into the sky._

_What I saw there made me quail. _

_It was huge, a dark mass of roiling weather that was already threatening to overtake the city. I stepped back fearfully, amazed at how fast the storm was moving. The metropolis in the distance was being smothered by the hellish storm; it's rumbling so loud and deep that my legs shook from the vibrations it gave off._

_And above all, I could smell the gathering electricity that was generated in that far off cloud._

_With sudden, irrational fear, I looked longingly at the lair. It would be relatively safe, I knew, and shielded from the storm that approached…_

_But I couldn't hide in the shadows while Kwei was out hunting, unawares of what was approaching. With a snarl, I dug my snout into the snow, searching out his scent among the many conflicting animal smells. It was easy to find it, after having the scent present so strongly in the lair, and I limped after it as quickly as I was able. Kwei had been headed for the end of the neighborhood that I had never explored by myself. I remembered it only dimly._

_It was a bad side of town, one where people were few, but those that were present were liable to kick or kill any animal that came near them. My host had never gone there more than once with me, and it wasn't a memory that I enjoyed. I still felt the phantom pain of the vicious kick that a human had delivered to the cat._

_With a growl of irritation, I set my pace and gathered my courage. If any humans wanted to kill me, they were going to get quite a surprise. I was no longer a weak creature trapped within another._

_I was a monster, and they were my prey.

* * *

_

Oooooo-kaaaay. Well, I still like it, even if it is kinda weird. Chapter eight is better, though. MUCH better.


	8. Defying the Tempest

_Hello again, readers. I really know I should have waited until I got more reviews, but..._

_Thanks for the reviews I got, anyway! (note to all readers, I will refuse to update this story until I get at least **six new reviews**, got it? It's pre-written, so don't worry about me being late on it.)_

_DarkXeno: OMG, your cat died? (offers as much consolation as she can) That poor creature, I hope it didn't suffer too much... If it helps, I'll dedicate this chapter in memory of your latefeline companion, though it may not be the best idea for content purposes...  
__Apologies_ _for cat maiming in this chapter (please don't hurt me, I only put a cat in since a city has a bunch of them and they don't fly)_

_Other reviewers: You'll find out who and what was in the space ship in this chap, kay? I am insanely happy that I am getting new reviewers (gestures to Deshwitat'slover and Crista of Herac). Genome Soilder: Wow, what a post you have! I really influenced your opinion that much, huh? (points accusingly at Psycology teacher 'See? I **told **you it could be done!")_

_Okay, thanks again, everybody, and get those reviews up quick... unless you hate chapters filled with something rather akin to fluff, becuase the next chap is full of it. XD_

_Translations:  
Okay, if you don't practically know the Yautja language in it's entirety from reading my fic that you're hopeless anyway. It's all simple here, the most complicated word is Ell-osde, and we all know that means 'you' from just about every chapter I've written.  
(Can you tell I'm getting tired of translations? XD )

* * *

_

Kwei swung the cow carcass over his shoulder, grunting with the effort. He was glad that he had been able to infiltrate another slaughterhouse, and even gladder that the humans had done all the work for him. The half-frozen hunk of meat that he carried was already skinned and dressed, ready for eating. All he needed to do now was get back to the lair without being seen.

And that would be difficult, seeing as his cloaking device was still in disrepair. He had been trying to fix it while Screetee was unconscious, but the problem had been more complicated than he had first believed. It seemed as if blood mixed with water had seeped into the main components, and they needed to be extensively cleaned before the device would work properly again.

Kwei hissed in annoyance, dragging the large carcass out of the door. The security camera that had been in the corner was still lying, sparking slightly, near the exit. The Yautja gave it a wide berth, not wanting to come anywhere near more electricity in his state. He wished distantly that he would have thought to bring a plasma caster, for the weapon would have been exceedingly useful and might have prevented him from ever getting into such a situation.

But then he would have never discovered Screetee…

Or worse, he might have killed her automatically. Somehow, the thought disturbed him now; Kwei no longer wanted the Kainde Amedha for a trophy. She had proved herself to be as intelligent and as brave as any full-fledged warrior he had ever known. She had proved herself worthy of a warrior's mark…

Kwei stopped suddenly, surprised at the thought that had just crossed his mind. A warrior's mark? Was he actually thinking of giving the mark to a Kainde Amedha?

But humans had proven themselves before. Screetee was no different.

With a sigh, Kwei shook his head and walked out into the snow, closing the door to the slaughterhouse behind him. By the door, the still forms of two dead humans lay, their heads removed from their bodies and their heat signatures rapidly cooling. The Yautja chuckled slightly; glad that he could get back to the hunt. Their skulls were now strung on his belt alongside his weapons, truly brave and worthy trophies that had stood and fought instead of running. He would gain much honor from these.

A deep rumble made him snap his head up, looking into the distance. He switched the setting on his mask from thermal to visible light, frowning as he did so. There was a dark cloud on the horizon, just throwing its shadow over the dormant city. It was moving surprisingly fast for a storm of its size, seeming to gallop over the landscape like a horse would over a grassy plain.

And Kwei could already sense from the charged feeling of the air that it was electrical.

The Yautja whirled, heading back towards the lair at as fast a clip as he could with his burden. Of all things he didn't want to do, getting caught in an electrical snowstorm was at the top of his list. They were the rarest types of storms, and also the most violent, often changing from rain to snow to hail within the span of a few moments and destroying anything standing with almost constant bursts of lightning. Getting caught outside in one could easily be fatal.

And already the biting cold raindrops were starting to descend…

* * *

_The first raindrops hit my back, and I snarled as I realized that the storm was approaching faster than I had anticipated. The drops were shockingly cold, enough to make me wonder how they hadn't turned to ice already. But that question was answered as the drops turned to ice on my armor, slowing me and covering my wounds so that they pained me all the more before turning suspiciously numb. _

_I slipped as I walked, slamming into the ground with a screech and thrashing upright, my tail hitting several different objects around me and slicing them in two. The top of a barrel rolled to me, and I heard a hissing noise as the powdery stuff inside spilled out onto the snow. Where it touched the white water crystals, the snow melted almost instantly, showing the ground beneath. _

_I avoided the powder, instead catching Kwei's scent once more and following it. The rain was beginning to wash it away, and though I was certain I was close, I was afraid that I would lose the scent before I found him. Already I had come close to losing it when he had suddenly jumped to a tree or a building, presumably to avoid the humans that walked through this area. I had met some of them accidentally earlier._

_They hadn't put up much of a fight._

_I shuddered and walked on, the ice coating my limbs both painful and hindering. Now snow had begun falling thickly, covering the scent so that I had to dig in the rapidly deepening white stuff to track. It also fogged my vision, for every snowflake reflected off my sound waves in a confusing mess that showed me almost nothing of my surroundings and often covered dangerous things such as humans or walls. I had already run into three walls, and wasn't looking forward to doing so again. My foreleg was hanging awkwardly once more, needing to be reset from my last encounter._

_A deafening roar of sound suddenly assaulted me, making me scream and dive into the snow, vision turning bright white from the wash of sound. It faded slowly, but I refused to move. It was as if another gun had gone off from the slaughterhouse, as if I was blind once more. I shivered in the cold, lost and afraid and coated in ice that was slowly but surely deadening all of my limbs. I could barely feel the end of my tail anymore._

_Then, a large object struck me hard in the back of my skull. I snarled viciously, standing and arching my back in a warning, and another hit me in the shoulder. Whipping around, I sent out a loud pulse of sound and was surprised to find that no humans were in the area. As I was looking, I saw the tremors caused by several impacts all around me, and felt another painful jolt as I was hit on the haunch._

_With a frightened scream, I jumped forward and ran as best as I could. The things were hitting me without mercy, striking my head, back, tail, and legs hard enough to be felt through the coating of ice and my thick armor. Looking up, I could see the whistle of more as they streamed down from the sky, the size of a cat's head and often jaggedly shaped. _

_Another deafening explosion erupted from the sky, and I fell into the snow, landing hard and flipping over as I slid uncontrollably. Finally, I stopped and rose shakily, my legs unsteady as I limped over to an overhang made by a half-crumbled building. I heard a hiss, and bared my teeth at the undersized and scrawny kitten that shared the meager shelter with me. It mewled uncertainly and finally dashed off, hiding behind several sheets of wire mesh._

You're too scrawny to eat, anyway, _I snorted, painfully settling down in the drifted snow. I was well aware of the fact that I had no idea where I was, and all too aware that my hunger was rising to dangerous levels. Indeed, if I could have gotten to the kitten, I would have eaten it easily, but I was too tired to chase it and my body cried out for rest._

_I set my head down heavily on the snow, saliva dribbling and freezing almost instantly on the hard-packed crystals. The temperature was dropping fast, and I knew I needed to get up and move, search again to see if I could track my own trail back or find Kwei's. Somehow, though, I couldn't rouse my lethargic mind to order my limbs to move. Even my tail was still, and as I began faltering in my steady thrumming, a thought occurred to me._

Am I dying? _I asked the kitten, who was still backed into its corner and hissing, _Why can't I move?

_Suddenly, another earsplitting roar sounded, so close this time that I could actually see the shape of the bolt when it struck before my echolocation flashed out of existence. The air around me superheated instantly, the ice and snow covering me melting within the span of a second. I gasped and screamed suddenly with pain as the soothing numbness vanished, replaced with a sharp, all-consuming agony that had almost nothing to do with the lightning bolt and more to do with my muscles suddenly bringing themselves out of a frozen state. _

_I heard the kitten yowl and dart from its hiding place; fur aflame from the fire that had started in the caved building. _

_I lashed out instinctually, grabbing the small furry form and cracking its spine before it could do more than gurgle. The body was warm, and I didn't bother with removing the meat from the bones as I cracked the carcass in my maw, swallowing it whole. Its blood dribbled down onto the revealed ground, and I licked it up with relish, my strength slowly returning along with my life._

_And the storm outside was worsening. I could tell through my still hazy vision that the hail had not stopped, but had indeed increased in size and power, hitting the ground and walls now with enough force to crack the stones._

_A hiss and a searing burn reminded me of my own situation as I pulled my tail back, out of the way of the roaring flames that were licking their way past the interior of the building. The heat was incredible, and I knew that hail alone couldn't stop this fire._

_The only way to live was to go out into the storm._

_But that would be a death sentence in itself…_

_With a sudden, defiant screech I leapt out into the hail, dodging as many of the large chunks of ice as I could while searching for a place that would be safe from the storm. It was hard to see anything, so jumbled were the images that reflected back to me, but I kept going, hoping that I would somehow find a familiar landmark and be able to continue my task. _

_If Kwei was out here, I wasn't going to let him face the storm alone. I had come out here for a reason, after all, and I wasn't going to go back without completing my self-imposed mission.

* * *

_

Kwei had his own troubles.

The pelting freezing rain had somehow gotten past his temperature regulating netting, turning to ice on his sensitive limbs and putting the Yautja into a fit of uncontrollable shivering. On top of this, his only defense against the hail was the cow carcass, which he was carrying like an umbrella to keep the baseball-sized ice from hitting his body.

He plowed on through the ever-deepening snow, though, intent on reaching the lair. He wasn't too far from it; it had taken him only a half hour to go from the lair to the slaughterhouse and from what he could see, he was already past the halfway point. By switching his vision from thermal to ultraviolet once more, Kwei had been able to make his way through the frozen wasteland with relative ease, though he was frozen to the core.

Suddenly, a lightning bolt cracked down from the sky, hitting disturbingly close to the Yautja's position. Automatically, Kwei ducked into the snow, wincing as a large piece of hail struck him in the thigh. Less than a second after the flash, the roar of sound washed over him, deafening him with its sheer power. Kwei abruptly heard another noise scream out, however, one that he recognized all too well.

"Screetee!" he cried, the echo of the Kainde Amedha's scream reverberating around him. He looked around wildly, switching mask settings so quickly that he barely had time to see anything in one view before changing to the next, "Screetee, where are ell-osde?"

His words were ripped away by the high wind that howled through the deserted street, fading before they could get more than a few meters away. Kwei roared, finally seeing the dim image of something in his thermal settings. There was a fire nearby, caused by the lightning strike. Somehow, his mind told him that the Queen would be there, near the source of the flaring warmth. The Yautja began jogging, ignoring the icy numbness in his legs that faded to a sharp pain with the exertion.

As he ran, his mind raced. Why was Screetee out in the storm, instead of safe in the lair like she should have been? Why had she gone out with her injuries? How had she made it this far?

Kwei leapt over a drift, finding strength he'd never thought he had to bring both the carcass and him over six feet into the air. He landed hard, cracking one knee down deep into the snow to hit hard concrete with a roar of pain. Ignoring it, he struggled upright and continued on, the distant flare of fire his only destination.

Another screech echoed through the howling wind, and Kwei looked around in an effort to identify where it had come from. He was unable to do so, however, for the wind distorted and warped the voice so much that deciphering the direction was impossible. Even to his keen ears the scream seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, drifting on the cutting air currents like a leaf in a turbulent stream.

"Screetee!" Kwei cried out again, his guttural voice strained as he attempted to push his way through a wide ribbon of deep snow. The wind suddenly changed, and a mix of hail and freezing rain pelted his back, making the Yautja fall with a pained grunt.

The cow carcass draped over him, and Kwei was grateful for the relief from the elements it provided. Though the meat stank of blood and chemicals, it had practically saved his life in this storm. Above him, he heard a sickening crack as one of the ribs on it was broken by a particularly large and fast chunk of falling ice.

"SCREEEE!"

The call was primal, defiant. Kwei looked up, relieved and amazed to see the Kainde Amedha Queen darting her way between the lethal rain, only getting hit by a few of the smaller chunks instead of the larger hail. He winced as he saw her broken leg again hanging at an odd angle from the joint, and winced again when he saw that she was using it sometimes as she ran, though he knew that it must be pure agony for her to do so. The splint was long gone, the mere burnt remnants of the gauze dragging along from the blood-covered leg.

"Screetee!" Kwei called again, his voice loud and clear from his elation at finding the Queen alive. Screetee pulled up, screeching as she was pelted by the hail, and swung her head to look at him, her own body movements signaling great relief and possibly joy at finding the Yautja.

(_Kwei!_) she sent, ducking as a large piece of hail whipped by her head; it would have crushed her skull had it hit, (_I've been searching forever for you!_)

"Why?" Kwei had to roar so his words weren't drowned out by the wind and lightning that was constantly obstructing his hearing. He had no idea how hard it must be for the Kainde Amedha.

(_I couldn't let you get caught in the storm by yourself!_) Screetee replied, limping over and helping the Yautja to stand. He did so quickly, and tried to position the carcass so that it could offer some protection to both of them, (_Don't bother, I can hear the hail before it hits me. All I have to do is dodge._)

"Ell-osde should have stayed in the lair," Kwei growled angrily, struggling through the ever growing piles of snow and hail that were all over the street, now.

(_I was trying to warn you, you idiot!_) Screetee snarled, whirling around and baring her teeth at him before shrieking when a chunk of ice struck a tine on her crest, snapping it off with a nauseating cracking sound. Kwei leapt back as her green blood spurted from the wound, sizzling and burning into the snow and ground beyond. He wanted to go and help her, but the danger to himself was too great.

"We need to get back before the storm kills us!" he barked, angry with himself for not being able to keep his mouth shut. It was his fault Screetee was out here… if he had just killed the humans instead of taking their skulls he might have gotten back before this whole thing happened…

(_It's not far…_) The Queen's words were strained, filled with pain at old and new injuries as she limped and ducked ahead of him, zig-zagging in a strange pattern. The Yautja tried to walk as fast as he could, but his legs were too numb from the ice and cold to move at more than a slow lope. How he wished that his netting was still working!

Just when both creatures were ready to give up, ready to die in the chaotic, snow-covered world that had come so suddenly and unexpectedly from the sky, another bolt of lightning flashed above them. Kwei flinched under the carcass, but swiftly cried out in joy as he saw the familiar shape of the abandoned bakery. Both he and the Kainde Amedha ran the rest of the way to the window that served as the entrance to the lair.

It was broken from the hail, and had swung down to shut itself. Kwei, in his anger, ripped the entire thing out of its frame, growling as the sharp, frozen shards penetrated his hands and drew thick droplets of luminescent blood before tossing both items he held into the room beyond. Looking back, he saw Screetee looking at him curiously, and beckoned for her to enter before him.

After she had leapt into the room, Kwei took one last look at the storm around them. He then roared in defiance, shaking his spear above his head, and ducked quickly into the lair to avoid a large chunk of hail that seemed to be the storm's version of a rebuke.

Far above the storm, beyond the lightning and roiling clouds, beyond even the topmost layer of the cold and lonely nightmare, another trial began…

* * *

"Life support systems running at 70 percentand dropping. Reconnect recommended."

The creature snarled and pushed more buttons, already feeling the cold of space slowly seeping into its capsule. It watched as the mere hint of frost on the glass slowly spread over the transparent surface, reaching out like tendrils of icy death. The blue planet was so close, now; it could practically imagine standing on the surface of the new world, finding a way to get home with the annoying yet useful computer of the escape pod.

It had been studying the planet for a long time now, reading the screens about its habitats, atmospheres, and minerals. The world was sparse in its materials, but it would do for the creature's purposes. The air was a strange mix of elements that the creature knew most of as fairly sparse on its own world. Though it would be hard to survive in, it was breathable enough.

As long as it wasn't like Planet R-51, the creature didn't care about the atmosphere.

"Starting landing procedure. Survival percentage at 20… do you wish for last rites?"

The creature snorted indignantly, even though the question was valid enough. It viciously punched a button on the console.

"Very well. Turbulence detected… Storm system reaching through possible landing points A-D. Other landing points inadequate. Electrical interference possible."

The planet seemed to be doing its best to keep the creature off, but it had other ideas. With a gurgle, it typed in something on the computer, and then attached a long, elephantine mask onto its face. The mask matched the shape of its features fairly well, for it had a long, nose like projection that attached to its chest. This was presumably what the creature breathed from.

The computer began beeping loudly, though it was not as urgent as before. The message the creature had typed flashed onto the screen as it fell into a deep and dreamless sleep, one that it knew it may never wake from.

"To any who can read this message, my name is –or was- Grekthee'Isthorpa, last surviving member of the race that your people know only as Space Jockeys, if you know of them at all. I have programmed my computer to download our history into any other computer it comes into contact with, providing it survives, so that even if I am lost, the knowledge of my race will not be."

The message flashed off, and began retyping itself again. Over and over in a never-ending cycle it repeated as the capsule dropped closer to the planet, flaring white-hot in the friction of the atmosphere as it made its way into the eye of the pale storm below.

* * *

_Hope you liked this chapter better than the last!  
Fluff warning in next chap!_


	9. Healing Spells and Offers Made

_(Author walks in covered in pink cottenly fluff-ness)  
See! I **told** you there would be fluff!  
(teh evilness)_

_Okay, first things first: writing on this fic may slow down a bunch within the next few chapters, since I've just aqquired MAJOR inspiration for one of my other stories and I am currenly shiftingbetween madly writing on it or this one. I feel soon I will go completely to the other story for a few weeks or so, so don't expect too much past this endearing and cute chapter until... oh, perhaps next month? I don't know, it might be shorter, might be longer. Besides, people haven't been reviewing as much and I need to gather my brokeninspiration (considering the fact that reviews seriously are the only things keeping me writing, becuase I have to know people like what I'm doing or I get all sad and stuff...)_

_As for questions slash comments: Well, Skulds, I'll show you exactly how there can be fluff in this story! (note: I wasn't originally planning the fluff part, it just sorta... got written. (shrug))_

_DarkXeno: Your other cat LIVES! (insert happy face here) I'm glad. Now you get the chapter you want! It looked like you have some strange things happen to your cats, but be assured, I will lay off the cat maiming and death from now on. It'll just be humans and other hapless creatures (perhaps squirrels?) from now on!_

_Space Jocky (explination): Well, have you seen the first Alien movie? Yeah, the Space Jockey made an brief appearnce in it near the beginning. Of course, it was fossilized, but by what we saw it was a huge elephantine creature with relatively long legs and arms. There was also a brief appearance of a LIVE Space Jocky in one of the comics (though past the movie part this is all information I looked up on the net). Since I can't find anything on that, I'm going with the summery of their species found in a DandD-type net thing and whatever I can glean or make up._

_Others: Thank you so much for your comments! (hugs all) I'm glad you think this story is progressing nicely and to your liking!_

_Note: I have just found out that I can indeed draw Xeno's now (gasp!) I'm pretty happy about it, I've been trying to get 'em right for forever! If you go to my DevientART account, you can view the first tiny sketches (literally tiny). They should be in the recent Deviations box. My gallery name is Crystal-rex.  
Oh, and perhaps you would want to anyway, since the drawings contain a sneak preview of the newest character to appear in the next chapters. Yes, the name IS a code, though I'll let you guys try to figure it out by yourselves. First one to succeed gets a cookie!_

_Arigato!_

**Dtai'kai-dte sa-de nau'gkon dtain'aun bpi-de**: The fight begun would not end until the end.  
**Kainde Amedha**: Hard meat (referring to Xenomorph)  
**Thwei**: Blood  
**Jehdin**: Single, One  
**Ell-osde**: You  
**H'sai-de**: A scythe-like sword  
**Ki its-pa**: Spear  
**Bpi-de**: End  
**Kwei** - tricky or sly  
**Chiva**: Test, Trial  
**Dtai'k-de**: Fight

* * *

_I collapsed on the floor of the lair thankfully, feeling as if I had been absent from it for far too long. Only the hissing of the concrete as it was eaten through by my steadily trickling blood brought me back to myself so that I could properly notice the intense pain caused by the missing tine of my crest. Looking down, I saw that my side was covered in my green blood, some of it half-frozen from the cold, and the bone of my leg was beginning to protrude from the skin, more blood welling up from the older but no less painful injury. _

_A metallic clatter brought my attention back to Kwei, who had once more taken out the medical kit and was preparing another batch of the gel substance that I remembered all too well. I snarled lightly as I saw it, backing away involuntarily as the flame melted the plaster-like materials into the numbing yet agonizing substance. Kwei looked up, the expressionless gleam in the eyes of his mask seeming almost to be laughing at me, before quenching the flame and approaching me, substance held out so that I could see what he was up to._

Wait, _I said, seeing him hesitate at my words. I nodded to the disk and shook my head just enough to let my blood dislodge from the tine and hit the floor,_ Cauterize it. You'll burn yourself if you don't.

_"Are you certain?" Kwei asked, tilting his head and regarding me curiously. I nodded again, hearing a new hiss from the floor._

_The Yautja turned the flame up on the disk, and I winced upon hearing the crackling fury of the fire. It was more intense than that of the burning house, perhaps even hotter than the lightning bolts that were still raining down outside the cold walls of the lair. He approached me carefully, and I sat still, bracing myself and locking the muscles in my legs so that I wouldn't lash out or leap away. _

_The searing pain reminded me much of the healing gel substance, and I couldn't help from flinching as the fire burned the caustic tissue, sealing it off more effectively than any other type of flame could have done. I felt the burning slowly make its way along the length of the wound, going back across to make sure the injury was closed before finally pulling away. I hissed through my teeth, my lips pulled back in an involuntary snarl, but no more blood came from the damaged tissue._

Thank you, _I managed, breath sharp and gasping, _Now, if you can, please reset the leg.

_I saw Kwei's nod reflected back from my hissing, and he gently gripped my leg in his clawed hands. Just when I was beginning to wonder if he was going to examine it before setting it, there was an excruciating wrenching sensation, and the feeling suddenly came back to the extremity with a vengeance. I screamed out, writhing in an instinctual attempt to escape the pain, but was held firmly by Kwei, whom had somehow anticipated my actions and positioned himself so that he was able to keep me still. _

_Suddenly, the pain increased tenfold as Kwei began slathering the limb liberally with the gel substance. Every muscle in my body tensed instantly, bunching up to the density of steel, and I clenched my teeth and tried to keep my tail from attempting to behead the Yautja. _

_It was then that I heard the hissing._

_I snapped my head down, sound waves immediately leaving me as I forgot my pain in an instant. Kwei was dressing the wound, ignoring the fact that his hands were covered in my blood and burning. I screeched in alarm as I saw it, and before I knew what I was doing I had both of his hands clenched tightly in my teeth, my saliva covering them liberally before I released the Yautja._

_He hissed in shock, looking down at his hands and turning them over as the pain of my acid blood stopped, as well as the burns they were creating. I looked at them curiously as well, unaware that my saliva had had such properties. With a slight shrug, I nodded back to my half-splinted leg, mind withdrawing into itself as I prepared myself again for the pain._

_Kwei looked at me for a long moment, and I was about to say something before he returned to dressing the broken limb. Instead, I growled as the pain intensified and looked away, trying to investigate anything that would take my attention from the torturous necessity and the guilt of causing my one and only friend pain._

_I stopped as the thought crossed my mind, mental eyebrow rising as I backtracked. Was Kwei truly a friend? I mulled over the possibility thoughtfully; yes, it was true that we had been rather reluctant allies in the beginning, having merely owed each other a life debt and nothing else. But it seemed as if that had changed over the past few days. When I had first spoken, Kwei had thought of me as prey, and nothing else. Then he had named me, viewed me as 'different', but still we would not have hesitated to kill each other if threatened._

_But then I had gone after the weapons, and Kwei had healed me, even though he had no obligation to do so. In fact, he had had the perfect opportunity to take me as a trophy, one that would have gained him enough honor to be set for many years in his society. He didn't, though. And afterwards, when I had showed him my memories, he had reacted just as angrily to the human's words as I had._

_And he had gone out to get enough food to feed us, even though he owed me nothing._

_Even now, he was acting selflessly, setting my wounds before he tended to his own. I could see the reflections of the cuts on his burned hands, the burns themselves, the constant shivering of his limbs that signaled overexposure to the cold. I pulled my lip back, sending out a gentle probe that would brush the Yautja's mind, for I wanted to know why he had never looked cold before._

_It was the netting, of course. The material was basically a thermal regulator that kept the atmosphere around the body at a constant temperature. How else could the creature wear such sparse armor in below zero weather? Somehow, though, the rain had gotten past the netting, solidifying into ice on the sensitive limbs of the Yautja. _

_If he didn't get warm soon, he could die._

_I felt a final tug as Kwei tied off the heavy gauze on my leg, and thankfully I nodded. The Yautja clicked in amusement and looked over his slime covered hands, staring at me curiously before spreading some of the gel over the cuts. I heard him hiss as the substance seeped into the exposed tissue, burning before numbing and healing. After he was certain that the gel had done it's work, he wrapped a few lengths of gauze around his hands loosely and stood, walking to the battered carcass of the cow on trembling limbs and dragging it over to me._

_"You must eat," he said shortly._

_I glared at him, angry that he would ignore his own hunger or wounds to feed me, who didn't deserve such treatment. I could tell that he sensed my anger, and he tilted his head as he looked at me._

Stop worrying about me and tend to yourself, Yautja, _I managed to rasp out as I stood shakily, trilling lowly to form a clear picture of the room. My tail thrashed,_ You need to eat this more than I. I won't touch it unless you eat your fill, first!

_"Screetee-" he began to protest. I snarled, teeth bared._

Unless you want me to force you to eat, you'll do as I say, _I threatened, making it very clear that I would force the Yautja to eat even if I had to shove his face into the carcass and hold him there. Kwei looked uncertain for a moment, but finally sighed and began taking his mask off as I growled lowly._

_He glared at me, his small and bright eyes glinting in an exasperated way as he sat and began ripping chunks from the meat with his bandaged hands. I watched curiously as he ate, delicately taking each strip of meat in his mandibles and transferring them to his inner mouth before swallowing. It made me wonder what I looked like while eating… I was certain that I didn't look half as dignified as Kwei or the humans. More like a starving dog, I guessed. _

_As soon as I was certain that Kwei was actually going to eat instead of take a few strips and transfer the carcass to me, I relaxed from my tense position. Through my hypersensitive limbs I could feel the thunder outside; the storm was still strong, and it was perhaps even intensifying. The temperature in the lair was dropping rapidly from the absence of a window to keep the cold air out of the room._

_With a growl I thought of how Kwei was half-frozen, and suddenly I remembered the door that I had removed from its hinges just earlier in the day. Limping over to it, I saw that it was the perfect size to block the open window. I took it in my teeth and, ignoring the curious look that Kwei gave me as he paused in his meal, brought it to the opening._

_Snow was already beginning to pile up, and the wind howled through the window frame in a shrill mockery of life. I growled again, taking the door and trying to lay it against the aperture so that it would block the wind and not move or fall. It took me a long while to discover that, without supports, the door would not stand, and so I was forced to drag several barrels to the wall to pin the door in it's place. After I was finished, I looked upon my work with a grim feeling of satisfaction. Even though the wind was still whistling slightly through the cracks, it was no longer pouring in like it had been._

_I trilled contentedly and looked back at Kwei, who was staring at me with a strange expression, his head cocked to one side while he ate another small strip of meat. I snorted sheepishly, flicking my tail as I became aware of the fact that he had been watching me struggle with the door since I had moved to fix the problem. His upper mandibles stretched upwards in what looked suspiciously like a human smile before he went back to eating._

_But as I looked closer, I saw that his limbs were still trembling as he moved. He was still suffering from exposure, and needed to get warm. I looked around helplessly, mind racing as I explored the room with sound. There was nothing, not one thing that even resembled a source of heat. It was too dangerous to start a fire in the middle of the room, for the abandoned bakery contained too many things that could have caught fire and gone out of control. I was at a loss._

_And I was also beginning to hunger. Saliva dripped from my jaws as I looked at Kwei eating; he was beginning to slow, having eaten close to his fill of the meat. I was surprised to see that there was much of it left on the carcass, more than I would have thought. I suspected that it would be reasonable if I decided to eat, now._

_Then, another idea occurred to me._

Don't move, _I commanded, approaching the carcass in my limping gait. Kwei looked up in surprise at my voice, regarding me with shock as I wrapped my long tail around his midsection and proceeded to curl around him. Finally, I was positioned much like a half-curled cat, with Kwei wrapped snugly in the curve of my body._

_"Screetee?" he said, confused._

You'll die if you don't get warm, _I said sternly, feeling the violent shivering of all his limbs. I may not have been the best creature for warmth, but my body wasn't built for conserving heat, and the fuel of food would automatically raise my body temperature to a higher degree. I was counting on this to help the Yautja overcome the biting cold of the lair, _Let my warmth be yours.

* * *

Kwei thought about struggling or protesting, but the heat that was already starting to radiate from the Kainde Amedha's body silenced him. Instead, he settled on looking stunned as Screetee began ripping into the meat of the carcass, her movements jarring him slightly as she ate. He distantly was reminded of the hunts he had gone on that had chased her kind, of the many Kainde Amedha that had killed both friends and enemies and devoured them. The way she plunged her fangs into the flesh of the beef was disturbingly like those mindless drones. 

But she was trying to save his life again. He hadn't told her about the cold, or how he had been near frozen from exposure. He guessed that the Queen had either taken the information from his mind or that she had seen the clues herself. She could see from sound, after all, and the Yautja had been shivering rather violently from the layers of ice that clung to him.

Now, though, that ice was beginning to melt from the warmth. Kwei wondered how the Kainde Amedha had become so warm in such a short time; when he had found her in the storm, she had been barely radiating any heat at all.

Screetee stopped eating, tilting her head towards him slightly. The Yautja noticed that the saliva pouring down from her maw was tinged with red.

(_My body isn't built for conserving heat,_) she explained, (_Food energy is burned very quickly._)

So she was allowing him the warmth that she was gaining from her food? Kwei nodded in acceptance, sighing as he leaned back against her warm torso. Already his shivering was beginning to cease, the frightening numbness of his limbs changing to a painful but welcome tingling. He had feared that he was going to freeze, but now he felt the uplifting sensation of hope within him. He wasn't going to die here as he had thought over the past several days.

(_Dtai'kai-dte sa-de nau'gkon dtain'aun bpi-de_) Screetee said softly, quoting an old Yautja proverb. Kwei clicked, amused at the amazingly fitting statement and the learning streak of the Kainde Amedha. If she kept up like this, she would know how to speak the entire Yautja language as perfectly as he did.

"Ell-osde are right, of course," Kwei replied, "It is not the bpi-de."

(_No, it is not,)_ Screetee replied. She pushed the carcass –the remains of the carcass- away lightly with her snout and curled tighter around Kwei, centering her warmth. Kwei chuckled softly, tentatively bringing up a hand to stroke the smooth carapace of the creature. Screetee tensed slightly at his touch, but finally relaxed. A moment later, Kwei felt the steady vibrations of her thrumming, (_When are you going back?_)

The Yautja stopped, surprised at the question. How long had it been since he had come here? He thought back quickly, and realized that it had only been a mere five days since the ship's landing, five days since he had been injured and met the Kainde Amedha Queen. He still had many days until he would be expected back, many days before he would have to face the elders again.

"Two weeks, two days," he said softly, the warm creature wrapped around him and the constant purring making him drowsy. Kwei caught himself as he began to fall asleep, jerking from his half-alert position.

Screetee moved her head a bit so that it pressed into his hand, and Kwei chuckled softly as he resumed stroking her skull, hearing and feeling her purring intensify. He traced along the smooth lines of the side of her head, where the carapace met the jawline, distantly reminded of the warrior's mark he had thought to give her before the snowstorm. He didn't know how it could be done; however, because Kainde Amedha blood couldn't affect the creatures' themselves. The only other way would be to etch it into the carapace itself, which would be tedious and possibly more painful than having the mark burned into one's flesh.

(_Warrior's mark?_) Screetee had apparently picked up on Kwei's thoughts. He sighed, looking out through one of the thankfully small windows in the lair and seeing with surprise that it was completely obstructed by a thick mound of snow.

"It is the mark given to warriors after they have completed their Kainde Amedha Chiva," he explained nervously, wondering how Screetee might react to the knowledge that her kind was hunted by his.

(_You must kill a Kainde Amedha to be thought a warrior?_) she sent softly, nuzzling his hands where they had been burned by her blood. Kwei nodded, knowing that Screetee could hear the movement.

"Yes, and jehdin must mark themselves with the thwei of the Kainde Amedha to be accepted as an equal to all other warriors," Kwei growled, looking blankly at his own hands. They were still bandaged, but soaked through with Screetee's saliva and the healing gel. A roar of thunder shook the lair, and Screetee tightened around him on reflex, shuddering at the noise. The Yautja absentmindedly ran his hands over her head to comfort her.

(_But I am different,_) Screetee said, her voice confused, (_You did not kill me. Why? I would have brought much honor to you._)

"Ell-osde wouldn't fight back," the Yautja said, mandibles tightening, "It would have been dishonorable to dtai'k-de an enemy that would not defend itself. I do not dtai'k-de dishonorably."

(_I did fight,_) she protested, bringing her head up, (_I stopped you from slashing at me. You could have killed me then, if you'd been strong…_)

"I didn't," Kwei said firmly, ending the discussion, "And now I see that ell-osde are a true warrior, worthy of the mark."

(_Why?_)

Kwei shook his head slightly, exasperated. She had said it herself, all those days ago.

"You told me to wish you luck on your chiva when you went to recover the Ki its-pa and the H'sai-de," he explained, "I saw what ell-osde went through, and it was equal to any Kainde Amedha Chiva. You arean equal, Screetee."

The Kainde Amedha growled softly.

(_An equal?_) she mused, her voice both disbelieving and longing, (_An equal to your kind?_)

"Yes," Kwei replied, "Even if some will not see it at first."

Screetee tilted her head to him curiously, her thrumming faltering for a moment.

(_You talk as if I would be going with you when you leave,_) she murmured, laying her head back down slowly on the concrete.

Kwei froze, suddenly realizing that yes, he _had_ been thinking as if Screetee would be accompanying him back to the ship. He had been thinking as if he would be allowed to even _approach_ the ship with a Kainde Amedha in tow. Even being a full fledged warrior, he doubted that he would be able to pull off such a feat, or that Screetee would be able to survive the first meeting with many of the others.

But could he leave her here, where humans were literally crawling all over and it was only a matter of time before she was tracked down and eradicated, one way or another? He found that he couldn't stand the thought, as feasible as it was. With a tired hiss, he lifted Screetee's head so that she faced him, much as he had done when she had refused his help.

"If ell-osde wishes to go, I will protect ell-osde with my life," he told her, "I will find a way to make them accept ell-osde as an equal."

For a long, tense moment, there was only the constant sound of her purring. Finally, Screetee nodded.

(_Mark me,_) she said, her voice strong.

* * *

_I reeled inwardly from the offer that Kwei had just made for me. An equal? Me, a mere Kainde Amedha, considered a warrior as the Yautja were? _

_And he wanted me to go with him when he left._

_I watched as Kwei took out the medkit that he had used many times to heal himself and I, looking both curiously and suspiciously at the tools within. Many of them were long and sharp, but I knew that they could not stand up against my corrosive blood. Finally, the Yautja took out a long tool, one whose end seemed like a circular saw or some sort. I couldn't help but flinch as he activated it, hearing the sharp buzzing sound as it spun wickedly. _

_Kwei paused, regarding my movements._

_"You could mark yourself," he said, gesturing to my claws. I trilled, looking down at them, and finally shook my head._

Better for you to mark me, _I told him,_ You know what to do better than I.

_He nodded, bringing the tool close, but I stopped him with a claw. I leaned over the tool, letting my saliva drip onto it for a moment, before settling back and bracing myself for the pain that was sure to come._

_It came with a vengeance, and though it did not match the agony of the gel or the broken leg, it brought with it a pain all its own. I kept myself from pulling away by a pure force of will, locking my legs and body so that I wouldn't thrash. As it was, my tail tightened into what I was certain was a painful embrace around the Yautja's midsection. _

_The buzzing jarred against my delicate senses, confusing me and disorienting my sense of direction and time. I could feel the blade as it chiseled into the hard chitin of my carapace, digging into the soft flesh beneath slightly as the mark was permanently etched into my forehead armor. It seemed as if the noise would never stop._

_And then, almost as suddenly as it had begun, it ended, and I was left with a dark silence. After a long moment I resumed thrumming, my world erupting into the soft painting of silvery gray that I had become so used to in my few days of true life. I saw that Kwei was looking at me worriedly, his brow furrowed and mandibles twitching nervously as he gauged my reaction. _

_With a snort I loosened my tail, seeing Kwei breath a sigh of relief as he realized that he could breath normally again. I winced inwardly, chiding myself, before relaxing completely and curling tighter against the cold that was starting to seep past the windows and doors. Again, the thunder sounded, but this time it was distant and less ferocious than before. The storm was moving on, finally leaving this blighted area for a new place to destroy. _

Thank you_, I said softly,_ It is a great boon you have given me, Kwei, greater than you know.

_He grunted slightly as he put the tool back into the medkit, giving me the Yautja version of a smile before placing the kit back onto his belt. I could see that he was tired, his eyes were beginning to close and his movements were sluggish. The warmth from my body was still great, and so I decided that it would be best to stay where we were for now. Moving to the more sheltered room would only waste what little energy we had gained from our meal, and we would lose the warmth that had seeped into the rock below us. _

Sleep now, _I whispered into his mind,_ I will stay alert as long as I am able.

_He grumbled slightly, but I could tell that the Yautja was as good as asleep, already. It was only moments before I felt his steady breathing and slowing heart rate confirm the fact. I chuckled slightly, and then yawned, my mouth opening wide to reveal my gleaming teeth. I would be able to keep sleep off for perhaps an hour, but it was long enough to make certain that there was no danger about to burst through the makeshift wind-barrier. I doubted that anything would be out in this weather, anyway._

_I yawned again, curling as much as I was able around the still form of the Yautja. The floor was more chill than I would have liked it, discouraging me from placing my head down on the concrete. After a few moments of looking around helplessly, my gaze fell on the sleeping form of my friend. _

_He needed as much warmth as he could, and I was sure that he wouldn't mind. With a sigh, I placed my head across his chest, letting my neck rest directly above his heart. There would be no chance of him freezing to death, now, not when I had turned into a makeshift blanket. My constant thrumming faded to a quiet purr as I yawned again, feeling my mind slip down into the place just between dreaming and wakefulness. Nothing could disturb the room without me knowing.

* * *

_

Awwwwwwwwww!


	10. The Silent Zone

_Hello, everybody! I guess I'm not all the way gone yet, 'cause I suddenly got the urge to write on this story some more!_

_Questions: Okay, DarkXeno, it is NOT supposed to look like that at all! (staggers from horrifying mental images) Nooooooooo! I just put them near each other for the size referance, andI drew them individually and on opposite ends of the paper! (bashes head into desk a few times to clear it) Okay... well, it's not supposed to look that way, even if I now realize that it sorta does (shudders)._

_I have very little idea about your other question... perhaps I should write some situation and find out? _

_As for other comments: (huggles all) I'm so glad that you like the fluff and aren't going to flame me for it! (dances happily) Plus, Lashanan and Telca, I wasn't relly expecting you to come and read anything here XD Plus, this is just a small project compared to the one I'm working on for you guys, and I didn't think you'd really want to read it (shrug)_

_Wow, eight different people reviewed the last chapter! I feel so happy, 'cause i think that's the most I've ever gotten for a single chapter! Thanks all of you, especially those who have been reading this and just decided to comment. I really appreciate it._

_(oh, and I have officially figured out how this is going to end. Yup, just need to get there. Probably be another five, maybe even nine more chapters of this length. Then, there will most likely be some sort of sequal or at the very least a one-shot set in the future)  
No translations needed today!

* * *

_

"But sir, we have no idea what the genes would do to a creature in it's position!" protested the small, timid man from behind a slew of paperwork and large, half-moon glasses, "The Project is only half developed, and-"

"I don't CARE what it'll do!" shouted the man in the shadows, two fists slamming down on the desk in front of him and cracking the wood slightly before they were withdrawn, trembling, "I don't care. Initiate Project 4-1-18-11 and give it the new treatments. I am officially drawing the deadline forward on this assignment!"

"I…I… very well, sir," the timid man said slowly, gathering up his paperwork and turning to walk out the door. The man in the shadows chuckled softly, making the other turn back slightly upon hearing the sound. A hand came from the darkness, fingering the splintered wood before drumming on it a few times.

"And Beltherough," he said silkily, the glee in his voice plain, "If the project is unsuccessful, I will take great pleasure in feeding you to it myself."

The timid man –Beltherough- flinched back, knocking over the large, padded chair in the process. It clattered loudly to the floor, scattering all his papers. The man looked undecided as to whether he should bend to pick them up or apologize for the chair when a laugh from the shadows spooked him, and he ran out the door, white coat flying behind him. The chilling laugh followed him from the room, growing in volume until the man in the shadows was shaken in almost uncontrollable bouts of mirth. Finally, he quieted almost as suddenly as he had begun, his fingers again drumming on the wood as he picked up a single sheet of paper that had fallen onto his battered desk.

The fingers of one hand ran over the picture attached the sheet longingly before he snarled, leaning forward into the light just enough to illuminate his features. Cold, hard green eyes stared out from beneath his clear cut brows, tinged in a dark red color around the edges of the iris that should not have been possible in a normal human. His hawk-like nose flared out slightly, and his pale lips pulled back in a feral snarl, revealing the unnatural points on his teeth. He growled, a sound that conveyed nothing but raw emotion, and set the paper back down on the desk, crossing his hands together in an arch.

"It's only a matter of time now," he hissed, "Only a matter of time…"

* * *

"Turbulence encountered. Attempting to stabilize. Attempting to stabilize."

The creature blinked dimly, aware that the mask was no longer feeding it the sleeping gas. It saw the green lettering flashing above it, as well as an urgent red light above and a loud buzzing that signaled something was wrong. Instantly it shook off the last remnants of sleep, rousing itself so that it was sitting up as much as it could in the cramped space of the capsule. Outside was a flaring mix of fire and ice, with frost forming on the glass and being burned away to nothing but steam before it could envelope the pod.

Grekthee gasped as he looked out upon the chaotic world, blinking as a bright flash of lightning momentarily blinded him. It vanished in an instant, however, leaving the surroundings dark and dismal. Snow began hitting the side of the superheated pod, emitting billows of steam as the water was instantly evaporated.

"Stabilize failed," the computer blared, "Fatal crash imminent!"

"Shut up!" snarled Grekthee, punching more buttons at a furious rate.

"Manual override confirmed."

A metallic whirring started up as two long stick-like controls emerged from the panel, and Grekthee gripped them tightly, knuckles paling as he pulled back on them with as much force as he was able to, sending the craft into a screeching attempt at stabilization. The 'nose' of the pod groaned with the force of the wind as the ship angled into a fairly straight trajectory, but the battering winds sent it straight back into a nosedive the instant his hands left the controls.

With a growl, Grekthee hauled back on the controls once again, brutally shifting the pod back into its original course. The hull screamed, unused to such pressure, and the Space Jockey narrowed his eyes as he saw that small strips of metal were beginning to tear from the frame, letting the shockingly chill wind whistle into the interior.

"Hull breach! Hull breach at points a-9, e-7, d-2, u-27!" The computer screeched out, listing points where the hull was beginning to rip from the ship. The news wasn't good at all; Grekthee would be lucky if the ship survived the entry into the planet's atmosphere, much less the crash.

"Damn!" he snarled, holding both controls with one hand while he punched more buttons on the control panel. The screeching of the wind was almost to the level where it drowned out everything else, including the computer and anything the Space Jockey said. He snorted, a sound lost in the winds, and continued adjusting the control panel, ignoring the cold that was beginning to seep into his limbs. As long as it wasn't the cold of space, he could live through it.

The computer flashed, a message appearing on the screen while the pod bucked and jerked with more ferocity than ever.

"Turbulence encountered! Winds measured at 70mph, planet terms!" suddenly, the bucking stopped, sending the Space Jockey colliding painfully with the control sticks. He grunted and pushed a button on the panel, and soon after the two sticks had disappeared back into the wall of the pod, "Entering central vortex. Wind speed measured at 30mph. Attempting to stabilize… Auto-stabilize successful."

Grekthee grumbled slightly, glad that he had somehow steered the pod into a patch of clear air… the computer had labeled it as 'the vortex'. It wasn't exactly the most comforting name he had heard, but if it saved his life, it would end up being the most glorified word in his vocabulary.

The pod began to shake violently, jarring the creature. Grekthee strapped himself down in the pod as best as he was able given the conditions. He hoped that the computer would find a softer spot to land. As it was, a small image was being formed on the glass, plotting the approach of the pod with the planet. It was close, now, very close. Still, the pod wasn't slowing down. Grekthree cursed mentally; if the counter-boosters didn't come on he would die, and the ship would be lost completely, along with the entire history of his race.

And he had gone through far too much to end it, here. This planet _would_ let him land, even if he had to use pure force of will to make it do so!

Suddenly, the boosters flared on, and a wave of heat and steam wafted in through the tears in the hull. To the Space Jockey it was a welcome relief from the intense cold of the stormy atmosphere, though the steam came close to choking him with the water particles it brought with it.

"Approach at 1000 km, planet terms," droned the computer, still flashing the message on the screen. Grekthee braced himself, muscles tightening into powerful cords as he gripped the armrests of the pod, "500 km, 200…"

There was a deafening roar of sound, accompanied by a bright flash of white light that slowly faded to a dull, emotionless black void where even pain could not reach.

* * *

_I twitched, my mind slowly rising from my deep and rejuvenating sleep as a shockwave of incredible proportions vibrated through the ground, slightly shaking the barrels and other objects in the room. An image formed in my mind of the surrounding land reflected back from the vibrations, and I found that there was a large crater -one that I was certain hadn't been there before- in the mountains on the opposite side of the city. Intriguing…. _

_I yawned slightly, trying to keep my movements as silent and soft as possible so as not to disturb the still sleeping Yautja I was curled around. Nonetheless, I chanced resuming my thrumming, hoping that the sound would send Kwei into a deeper sleep rather than wake him. The warmth that was radiating from both of us appeared to have spread within the room, somehow raising it to a temperature that was well above zero. It seemed that the heavy layers of snow caused by the storm had almost completely covered the building, insulating it better than the stone walls ever could. _

_Snow… I hoped that it would melt soon, bringing the human season known as 'spring'. The cold was too dangerous to live comfortably in, far too dangerous. Yesterday's events had brought that fact home to me; both Kwei and I had nearly died in that storm. It wasn't an occurrence that I ever wanted to repeat in my lifetime._

_But I was very comfortable now, with the warmth of Kwei's steadily beating heart just below my sensitive neck. I wouldn't have moved for anything, so much was I surrounded in an indescribable warm ambiance that enveloped me like a cocoon. It reminded me much of the human family I had lived with when they had all sat together at night, watching the television and curling up next to each other. They had called it something… something important…_

_Kwei mumbled wearily, shifting slightly. I loosened my hold to allow him a more comfortable rest, still thrumming and still motionless, lost in thought. My tentative hold on the human word had left me, but I didn't mind. The emotion would remain nameless for now, until my memory was jogged later. Even if I never remembered, I didn't mind so long as the feeling was still with me. _

_I felt Kwei's heart rate speed up slightly as he began to wake, his eyes opening blearily as he stared in mute confusion around him. I could pinpoint almost the exact moment when the memories of the previous day returned; he stiffened, and then relaxed, bringing up a hand to stroke my skull slightly. I purred and curled tighter before wincing as my broken leg made a painful reassertion of its existence. _

_"Good morning, Screetee," he said, head tilted to the side as he stared at my neck, which was still situated directly on his chest, "Are you well?"_

_I turned my head slightly; still half-asleep from the warmth but beginning to wake completely due to both the fact that Kwei was awake and my leg was throbbing with pain._

As well as I can be, _I answered after a pause,_ Are you well?

_"I am the same as you," he said, smiling slightly in his strange way, "It is very comfortable here."_

_I grunted in answer, twitching the end of my tail slightly in a methodic rhythm. Neither of us made any move for a long time, but finally I sighed, remembering the snow outside and the need to protect the lair from more wind. I was no longer as warm as I had been, having burned most of the energy from the carcass to create heat._

We need to find a way to make this lair warmer, _I said, uncurling slowly. Kwei moved, and I took my head from his chest, watching as he stretched before finally standing up. I noticed with pride that he was no longer acting as if he was cold. The trials of the day before had taken their toll, yes, but he was almost healed and stronger than I had seen him in days. He was almost as strong as he had been in the slaughterhouse, when he had killed the humans and the scientist._

_I uncurled, stretching my tail and moveable limbs out to their limit before slowly standing, growling lowly at the slightly cooler air that encountered my warm exoskeleton. Having to leave that comfort was annoying, but necessary. I wished it wasn't._

_"I can fix the thermal netting," Kwei told me, grabbing his mask and putting it back on his face. I growled louder, wondering why he still felt the need to use it; unless he couldn't breath without it, there was simply no need. He noticed my growl and paused while attaching the wires on the side, mandibles clicking together curiously as his head tilted, "What's wrong, Screetee?"_

Nothing, _I replied, feeling that it was better not to talk about it. Instead, I trotted over to the windows, rearing up and leaning against the wall with my one good leg while regarding the snow that was piled up outside. I sighed as the overwhelming deepness of it reflected back to me; we would be lucky if we could tunnel our way out of the exit. The carcass was rather ripped up, and we might be able to make another meal out of it. Well, we might if I ate the bones; it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to do so, anyway, given that we wanted to leave as little sign that we were here as possible. _

_Two more humans dead near the same area… even I knew that more would come soon. They would be searching, and would be heavily armed. I was in no condition to fight more humans, tempting though it may be, and their presence here would hinder our freedom to exit and enter the lair. We would have to cover our tracks, walk more on buildings than anything else, and try to go out only under cover of darkness. The effects of the storm were a mixed blessing, because though it had almost killed us and had effectively trapped us here, it would also keep the humans from discovering anything until they could clear the snow out of the way._

_I wondered if I should find a new lair? The idea wasn't tempting, but if it kept the humans from finding us, I would gladly do so. I trilled as I pushed off from the wall, landing heavily on my good leg and shaking vigorously to straighten out my carapace. The room was quiet, and I saw Kwei was working on the netting with tiny, strange tools that I had never seen before. I left him to it, instead trotting down the stairs as well as I could to see if there would be something useful in the second room or if there was a door that I had missed behind one of the barrels or the mirror. _

_The floorboards creaked as I walked on them, the bitter cold of the room having seeped into them and made them stiff and possibly brittle. I sighed, and the steam that exited my mouth was reflected back to me in an image of thousands of tiny, separate particles that made an interesting whole. It looked a bit like an image of a bird… I had seen those when I went into the city. I knew that Kwei hated them, finding the flying creatures annoying. Still, it made me wonder what it would be like to fly, to have wings and be able to escape from the world below._

_The room stank, and I remembered the old egg that had been here since I had first arrived. As I approached it, I realized that somehow it had only just begun rotting, and a sickly puddle of thick, gooey liquid now sat around the withered and disgusting shell. I snorted and curled my lip back, mentally making a note to have Kwei burn it. It would make good fuel, and we could probably move the barrels out of the way enough to minimize the danger of the lair catching fire. As much as I wanted the egg destroyed, I didn't want a chance of the building turning into a roaring inferno like the one that had sheltered me in the storm. _

_But it seemed that I had found my heat source. Even though it would smell awful while burning, the warmth would be good for the lair. All we needed to do was vent the rooms well so that we didn't suffocate. That would be easy enough, I hoped. All I would have to do would be get out of the lair and dig down to the windows, and then have Kwei open them. I would try to make it look like the holes were natural by digging out some stray boards near the entrance and setting them at an angle by the windows._

_But now that I knew what I was going to do, I found that I didn't feel like going out into the cold right away. I lashed my tail back and forth as I swung my head around, sending out sound waves towards the stairwell. I had never truly explored it much, besides learning how to maneuver around stairs, and now that I did I saw the two handles on the wall at my level. But there was a problem with these that I hadn't encountered at the slaughterhouse._

_For one, the doors were boarded with thick planks of wood that, though they wouldn't be much of a problem and were exactly what I needed for my heating scheme, covered something even more important. The handles on these doors were round, and as such were impossible for me to open. I glared for a moment, wondering if I should just knock these doors down as well, but common sense told me no. Having more space to heat would make it colder in the rooms that we had already warmed slightly, and would make it harder for the heat from the burning egg to spread to the areas we needed it in._

_With a sigh, I decided that Kwei could deal with being interrupted in his work to do this small thing for me. But before I went up to ask him, I reared on my hind legs, gripping the first board and hauling back on it. It ripped free easily, the wood and nails being quite old, and I repeated this process with all the others. I had amassed a large pile of these when I had finished, and I moved with a quiet trill to ask Kwei to open the doors._

_Suddenly, I stopped, seeing that the Yautja was already at the top of the stairs, looking down at me. His laughter drifted down to me when he saw that I had noticed him, and I bared my teeth half-heartedly, my tail whipping back and forth as I glared._

_"Do you need any help, Screetee?" he asked, looking at the ripped out boards and back at me._

_I moved my head to point at the door to my right, and shrugged slightly._

The doors, _I said,_ I can't open them.

_"Wouldn't it be easier to remove them completely?" he asked, head tilted to empathize the question. I shook my head._

Not unless you wish to lose what little heat we have in this place, _I answered. Kwei paused for a moment before nodding and walking down the stairs, his weight making them creak more than mine had. It was the work of a few seconds for him to curl his hands around the handles and twist, opening the doors with ease that I was instantly jealous of;_ It must be nice to have thumbs.

_He chuckled slightly as I stared down at my own foot, the talons flexing as I dug them into the floor below. Yes, thumbs would be nice to have; they would be helpful in just about any situation and allowed the use of weapons beyond those that were natural, such as the spear that Kwei used or the guns of the humans._

_"It must be nice to have telepathy," he replied, trilling as I tilted my head in shock. I realized that yes, I had talents that no Yautja or human could ever have, just as they had certain talents that I didn't. It was all a method of balance, I guessed. _

Have you fixed your netting already? _I asked, changing the subject._

_"No, but it seemed that you were working on something more interesting," he said, pushing the door on the right open and looking inside. I did so as well, trilling loudly, and saw that the room was filled with boxes. Boxes stacked upon more boxes upon even more of them. Down the middle of the room there was a narrow path, cluttered with dust and old paper, and large cobwebs hung in every available corner. Nothing had been in that room for a long, long time._

_We turned as one to open the other room, and found much of the same, except for a large metal machine that was placed right inside the door. I touched it with my muzzle slightly, investigating the strange smell that reminded me of the cars of the city. I didn't like those cars, and I wondered if this machine was anything like them. I hoped not._

_"Ancient Ooman technology," Kwei said, laughing and using his race's word for humans. I watched curiously as he lifted the contraption easily on one shoulder, though it must have weighed as much as a full-grown human in itself, and trudged up the stairs with it. I followed out of pure curiosity, wondering what in the world Kwei could have planned for the bulky machine that smelled of cars and gasoline. _

_He set the machine down in a cleared corner, investigating strange controls on the side and pushing a few experimentally. The machine suddenly roared to life, making me jump back with claws skittering on the stone floor. The Yautja looked up at me and growled in amusement, then gestured to the machine. I tentatively stepped forward, and was surprised at the heat that was beginning to waft from the device._

What is it? _I asked, amazed._

_"A heater," he answered simply, prodding the device once more before going back to where he had set his netting and tools, "It uses fuel to heat a small area or a room like this one. We are lucky that you found it."_

_I purred happily; already the warm air was beginning to circulate in the room, making me feel better than I had in days. No longer was I so stiff or irritable; in fact, I felt downright giddy with the sudden heat. I looked towards Kwei, and saw that he was working again on the thermal netting. It would be useful to him if he had to go outside again._

_I limped over and sat down next to him, watching silently. He paused for a moment, but when I said nothing, resumed the work. I was fascinated by the delicacy needed to repair the strong netting. Kwei had to search each individual square; looking at the strands and fixing any that were disconnected or had snapped wires. After a while of watching this, I began to recognize what he was searching for, and slowly I began searching on the parts of the netting near me. My echolocation was useful for pinpointing irregularities in the material, and was much more effective than Kwei's method of having to search each square. Soon, he had begun asking me where he needed to repair, and I was glad to show him._

_Even my method took time, however, and several hours had passed before Kwei proclaimed the netting to be restored. I thrummed contentedly in my own version of approval, and suddenly realized that I was now lying on the floor where I had only been sitting before. Also, my tail had somehow moved to curl around the Yautja again without my knowledge. I jerked in surprise, and Kwei absentmindedly ran a hand over my domed skull in a gesture meant to comfort me._

_Suddenly, his hand froze, and I heard him stare down at me in shock, finally noticing the tail and the fact that his hand was running over my head. I purred louder, leaning into his hand slightly before uncurling my tail and standing._

I'm going to go investigate those rooms, _I said, limping to the stairs,_ There may be more useful things hidden there.

_He looked at me blankly, the mask over his face motionless and mysterious. Though it annoyed me that I couldn't see his expression, I found that the mask itself had a type of beauty all its own. It was so smooth and clear cut, except for the most prominent edges, which were slightly serrated. It fit him, somehow… As I disappeared down the stairwell, he sighed, shrugged, and went back to putting his tools away.

* * *

_

"Daddy!"

The man pulled his head up from his hands, unnatural eyes that had been lost deep in thought pulling back to reality quickly and lighting up with a joyful expression as he heard the voice. He stood, although his movements were rather stiff and shaking, and smiled widely as the tall, lean form ran through the door, leaping over the scattered papers and the fallen chair to latch onto him with long, graceful arms.

"Scarlet!" he laughed, hugging his daughter back and ruffling her hair, "Just the thing I needed to brighten up my day!"

"Mom said that you'd like it," the girl said, her bright green eyes twinkling. She stepped back, looking at the cluttered room, and winked slyly at him, "Need any help cleaning up before she gets here?"

"Of course," chuckled the man, bending down stiffly to set the chair back on its legs. Scarlet promptly gathered up the papers, arranging the steadily growing stack into a semblance of tidiness on the desk before catching sight of the large crack running through the wood. She ran her fingers over it, wincing as she encountered the jagged edges.

"Daddy, what happened to your desk? Did something fall on it?" she asked, "It needs to be fixed before you get a sliver from it!"

"Oh, that," the man said in a nonchalant way, gesturing with one hand while he picked up a paper that had escaped the girl's notice and set it on the pile, "Someone brought in a machine they were testing, I think it was someone from the space department. It slipped a bit from it's stand, and it hit the desk wrong," He ran his fingers over the crack and frowned, "I think a bit of wood glue will fix it right up, so don't worry."

Scarlet nodded absently, staring at the paper that her father had left on his desk. He noticed her stare, and quickly moved the document to a nearby folder, sending her a grin and lifting a finger to his mouth to tell her that it was a secret project. She smirked and began skimming through the other papers, thumbing across the research and investigating the pictures.

"Wow, the Xeno research seems to be going well," she commented, looking at a particularly detailed document, "I wish I could work on it…"

"Come on, Scarlet, I told you before that you're way too young to work on Xeno's," said the man, sitting down heavily in the chair and putting his hands into their familiar arch. He frowned sternly as his daughter looked at him with wide, pleading eyes, "It's far too dangerous! Even working on the Chestbursters is lethal work, and you know that I can't subject my own daughter to that sort of risk! I know you're smart, and I know you hate having to act like you're normal at school, but I'm not all powerful and there are laws about work conditions. Plus, what would the other scientist's think?"

"I don't care what those half-wit morons would think," Scarlet snorted glumly, "I just want to be part of the research, to be a part of something important to humanity!"

"I know, honey, I know," he sighed, "Just wait a few more years, and when you're sixteen, I'll hire you on part-time as part of the observation team, okay?"

Her eyes lit up, and she smiled brightly, eliciting a warm chuckle from the man in the shadows. He gestured to the document the girl was holding, and she handed it to him with a giddy expression, still overjoyed at the news that she could soon work on the project that she had strived for since she had first learned of her father's job, soon after she had been classified as a genius by the mandatory tests given at her school.

That was when she had been given her most loved gift, a tiny kitten that she had named Diskette. The memory made her smile fade, and she lifted her eyes to her father almost pleadingly.

"Have you heard anything about Diskette?" she asked softly, wondering what could have happened to her cat since he had disappeared almost a week ago.

His eyes closed slowly as he sighed, and her face fell; she knew what he was going to say.

"No, honey, I haven't," he said, " And I think you're old enough to know that there's a good chance that he'll never come back, especially with the storm coming through. A lot of animals were frozen to death within an hour because their owners had let them out and couldn't find them again, and the hail killed even more. I'm sure you saw the birds outside…"

"I know, Dad," Scarlet sighed sadly, "but I can always hope, can't I?"

"Hey, how about you help me a bit, Scarlet?" the man said, eyes bright and sly as he caught sight of something on the document he was holding, "This is something for the new Xeno project we're doing, and I think you deserve a nice surprise."

"Really? I can do something for a Xeno project?"

"Come on, and I'll show you what you can do," he said, smiling widely down at her. Scarlet jumped from the chair and stood, limbs twitching in her excitement, as he made his way slowly out from behind the desk and had her follow him out the door.

The hallway was mostly quiet, with a few scientists darting this way and that and muttering to themselves over one project or another. The man frowned slightly as he saw this; it should have been busier since he had requested the deadlines be moved forward on many of the major assignments. Perhaps he should make them due even earlier, to get the slack out of the place. Lazy scientists were not good workers.

He caught one before they could go past him, grabbing their arm. The scientist turned, and the man was surprised to see that it was one of his top female executives.

"Good day, Ms. Jennings, I hope I'm not being too rude in asking you to do a favor for my daughter and I?"

She shook her head, smiling down at Scarlet, who raised an eyebrow.

"Not at all, Dr. Belkni," she replied smoothly, "What do you want me to do?"

"Call level six, tell them to wait on procedure two until I get there," he commanded, grinning approvingly when the woman nodded curtly and walked purposefully away.

The rest of the walk was uneventful, though Scarlet often paused to look through the large glass windows looking in on the several projects in progress. The scientists usually saw her, smiling warmly at the familiar face before going back to work. They knew that she would soon be with them, if she had her way.

"Ah, here we are," said Dr. Belkni, throwing open the large double doors to the room and immediately being surrounded by the roar of various animal sounds. Scarlet slowed and looked around at the cages full of animals tentatively, brow furrowing as she investigated the room she had never seen before.

"Why here?" she asked.

"We have plans for a new Xeno subject, and the egg has been altered and is now ready for hatching," said her father grandly, "and I want you to have the privilege of choosing what animal here will be its host!"

"Really?" Scarlet gasped, looking around wildly with mouth agape in surprise, "You'd let me choose?"

"Of course!" Dr. Belkni replied with a laugh, "You are my daughter, after all, and as such you should know what creature here would be best!"

Scarlet was already walking past the cages, running her fingers down the chain link metal and looking in at the creatures that stared balefully back at her with large eyes and pleading expressions. There were common creatures, like birds, squirrels, rats, and dogs, but there were also larger and rarer animals as well. The larges stalls in the back held a variety of cows, pigs, bison, horses, and even a donkey.

As she passed the furthest stalls, however, one of the doors bucked as an angry scream of rage came from it. Scarlet halted, walking back to the door and looking in through the small viewing window at the form silhouetted by the bright, sterilized lights of the labs. It screamed again, throwing its weight against the door and regarding the girl with bright, intelligent eyes.

Scarlet smiled.

"That one," she said, "I want the new Xeno to be made from that one."

* * *

_Dun dun duuuuuuuun!_


End file.
